Steelman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Steelman is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Steelman was a Norman name used for a person who was strong or reliable. The surname Steele is a metaphor likening the constitution of its bearer to the hard metal of the same name.

Early Origins of the Steelman family

The surname Steelman was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very early times where they were Lords of the manor of Giddy Hall near Sandbach, and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

They were conjecturally descended from Bigot de Loges, a Norman noble who attended King William at the Battle of Hastings. However, William the Conqueror suppressing an uprising by his northern nobles in 1070, laid waste all of Sandbach, a large district in Cheshire, and the family moved north to Scotland.

Early History of the Steelman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steelman research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1259, 1524, 1610, 1616, 1629, 1637, 1643, 1662, 1672, 1680, 1692, 1697, 1729 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Steelman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steelman Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Steele, Steill, Steel, Steal and others.

Early Notables of the Steelman family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Steele (1610-1680), English lawyer and politician from Sandbach, Cheshire, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, grandfather of Sir Richard Steele of Dublin; Thomas Steele (d. 1643), who was shot for surrendering Beeston Castle in the Civil War; and Laurence Steele (bap...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steelman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steelman Ranking

In the United States, the name Steelman is the 6,291^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Steelman family to Ireland

Some of the Steelman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steelman migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Steelman name or one of its variants:

Steelman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Haus Steelman, who landed in Maryland in 1666-1750 2

Steelman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frances Steelman, aged 2, who settled in America, in 1896
Henry Steelman, aged 7, who landed in America, in 1896

Steelman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Kala Steelman, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1904
Baine Steelman, aged 25, who landed in America from London, in 1904
Moischa Steelman, aged 1, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1904
Lawrence B. Steelman, aged 23, who settled in America, in 1912
Mrs. L. B. Steelman, aged 48, who landed in America, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name Steelman (post 1700) +

Morris James "Farmer" Steelman (1875-1944), American Major League Baseball player
Sarah Steelman (b. 1958), American politician, State Treasurer of Missouri 2005 to 2009
Sara Steelman (b. 1946), American biologist and politician
David Steelman, American politician and lawyer from Missouri
Alan Steelman (b. 1942), American politician, Republican congressman for Texas (1973 to 1977)
Sarah Steelman, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 2008 ; Candidate in primary for U.S. Senator from Missouri, 2012 3
Dorman Steelman, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1960 3
Billie Steelman, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 19th District, 1954 3
Alan Watson Steelman (b. 1942), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Texas 5th District, 1973-77; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Texas, 1976 3
John R. Steelman (1900-1999), former White House chief of staff serving President Harry S. Truman (1946 to 1953)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html