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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked about the meaning of the given name <Liston>; here is what we've found.
<Liston> was originally a place-name. Like many old place-names it eventually became a surname. For example, a 16th century <John
Liston> might have been descended from a 13th century ancestor
called <Roger of Liston>.
We don't know when the surname was turned into a given name. The practice of turning surnames into given names began in the 16th century and has continued sporadically ever since. [5] In general it isn't possible to say why a particular surname came to be used as a given name. In many cases, however, the name was originally the mother's maiden name or the surname of a godparent. It is not uncommon for such names to become family traditions.
The place-name itself could refer to any of at least three places. One source is Liston in Essex, which goes back to an Old English name meaning 'estate associated with a man named Leofsige or Lissa'. (<Lissa> is a pet form of <Leofsige>.) Another is the old barony of Liston in Scotland, which is now part of the parish of Kirkliston. This goes back to a similar Old English place-name meaning simply 'Lissa's or Leofsige's estate'. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The third origin is more roundabout. In the 13th century an Anglo-Norman family using the surname <de Lexinton> settled in County Limerick in Ireland. Over time the surname was simplified to <de
Lextoun>, <de Lyston>, and eventually simply <Liston>. The family's
surname referred to a place in Nottinghamshire now called Laxton.
This goes back to yet another Old English name, this one meaning
'estate associated with a man named Leaxa'. [2, 6]
Although the name is associated with both Scotland and Ireland, its origin is English. We could find no evidence that it was associated with Wales.
Josh Mittleman and Heather Rose Jones also contributed to this letter. We hope that this information is of use to you.
For the Academy,
Brian M. Scott
[1] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_ (New York: The New York Public Library, 1989).
[2] Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_ (Oxford: At the University Press, 1989).
[3] Johnston, James B., _Place-Names of Scotland_ (London: John Murray, 1934).
[4] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991).
[5] Withycombe, E. G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_ (Oxford: At the University Press, 1984).
[6] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967).