Bankston
An English-derived surname most likely from a place-name meaning “Bank’s town” or “bank settlement.”
The #4,953 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,479 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bankston is most likely a locational surname built from Middle English bank, meaning a slope, riverbank, or hillside, plus -ton, a common place-name ending meaning “farm,” “estate,” or “settlement.” The first element may also preserve an old personal name or nickname such as Bank, making the sense roughly “Bank’s town” or “the settlement by the bank.” As with many English surnames, it may have arisen independently in more than one place or family line.
History
The name is especially familiar in English-speaking countries, including the United States, where it appears to have spread through later migration and surname retention rather than through one famous medieval lineage. Because it is a fairly transparent place-name type, it may have developed in multiple local branches. It is much less common than many classic English surnames, which fits a family-name history rooted in a small settlement or local topographic label.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -ton is one of the most productive elements in English place-names and usually signals an old settlement name.