Livingstone Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Livingstone last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Livingstone last name
Meaning of the Livingstone last name: leving's farm. Livingstone is a Scottish surname from Livingston in West Lothian, meaning the farm of a man named Leving. In the Highlands it also anglicised Mac an Léigh. Missionary explorer David Livingstone, born in Blantyre, made this last name famous across Africa. The town of Livingstone in Zambia keeps his name.
Arms associated with the Livingstone name
In Scottish heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Livingstone name are personal, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Livingstone family history
This is only a glimpse of the Livingstone story. The full Livingstone history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Livingstone coat of arms. Get the full Livingstone report.
Livingstone name FAQ
What does the Livingstone name mean?
Leving's farm. Common variants include Livingston, Levingston.
Where does the Livingstone surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Livingstone coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Livingstone coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).