Blackstone
An English surname that usually comes from place-names meaning “black stone” or from a locality called Blackstone/Blackston.
The #8,946 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,380 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Blackstone is most often a locational surname from a place-name built from Old English blæc, meaning “black,” and stān, meaning “stone.” The literal sense is “black stone,” which could refer to a dark rock, boundary stone, or similar local feature. Some historical sources also treat related forms such as Blackston and Blaxton as spellings or local variants tied to the same place-name tradition.
History
English surname writers in the 19th and early 20th centuries usually explained Blackstone as a local surname, with related spellings including Blackston and Blaxton. The name is found in England and later in North America, where it was carried by early settlers such as the New England clergyman William Blackstone, whose surname appeared in several spellings. In some cases, the form may have been influenced by nearby place-names or later spelling regularization.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
William Blackstone, one of the earliest Anglican clergymen in New England, helped make the surname familiar in early American history.
From the historical record
“he did become his matt from that day forth, of Hfe, limb, and earthly honour. — Blackstone; Webster. •Henry le Man. — Hund. Rolls. (Celt.) Bel. to (the Isle of) Man [ ? qym- nc man, place, or district]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)