Livingston \l(i)-vi-ngston, liv(in)-gston\ as a boy's name is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Livingston is "Leofwine's settlement". The Old English personal name Leofwine means "beloved friend". Livingston can also be traced to two other ancestors. One is the Irish personal name Duinnshleibhe, meaning "brown mountain". The other is the Jewish surname Lowenstein, meaning "lion stone". The Livingston family were prominent Hudson River landowners in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Livingston has 3 variant forms: Livingsten, Livingstin and Livingstone.