Stone
A very common English surname from a place name or a house sign, originally meaning someone who lived by a stone, rock, or stone-built landmark.
The #178 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,014 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Stone usually comes from Middle English stone / Old English stan, meaning “stone” or “rock.” In surname use, it often pointed to someone who lived near a notable stone, rock, standing stone, or stone castle, and sometimes to someone from a place called Stone. The name could also be applied to people from villages and parishes named Stone across England.
History
The surname is widespread in England and later spread into other English-speaking countries. Historical writers noted that it can be both locational and topographical, because there are many English places called Stone and many natural or man-made stone landmarks that could inspire the name independently. It is also found in medieval records in forms such as Stane and Stanes.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because so many English places are called Stone, the surname does not always point to one single family origin.
From the historical record
“STONBRIDGE = Stanbridge, q.v. STONE (Eng.) Bel. to Stone ; or Dweller at a Stone (Obelisk, etc.), Rock, or Stone Castle [M.E. ston(e, stan{e, O.E. stdn\ John de la Stone— Hund. Rolls. Stone, Staffs, occurs in the 13th cent, freq. as both Stane and Stanes; Stone, Wore, was Stanes in Domesday-Book and in the 13th…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)