The surname Royston and its variants have separate stories of origin in England . It may derive from the place called Royston in Hertfordshire; The original name was thus 'Royse's cross', referring to a cross set up by a certain Lady Royse. However, the place name is recorded as 'Roiston' by 1286. Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Royston, Ulchel an under tenant of Ilbert de Lacy, a great Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The other story or belief is that it is of South Africa and Australia origin and Royston is of African / English origin and means "To rule and be strong".

The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Clemens Roiston (christening), which was dated March 2nd 1544, Barkway, Hertfordshire, during the reign of King Henry V111, "Bluff King Hal", 1509 – 1547. The first marriage recorded was of Thomas Royston and Margaret Hurste and was recorded in Brodsworth, Yorkshire, on the 15th of May 1631.

The Royston DNA Project is primarily intended as a surname project based on the Y-DNA of men named Royston and Mt DNA results from men and women who are Royston descendants through their direct materrnal lines. Including spelling variations such as Roysdon, Roiston, Rosston, Rishton. However, the project also welcomes both men and women with other surnames as long as their autosomal or Y-DNA results show that they are genetically related to Royston ancestors, especially if they are a match for other members of the project.