Contents [hide]

Steers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Steers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Steers family

The surname Steers was first found in Surrey where Styr was a Lord at the Court of Ethelred the II mentioned in Royal Letters Patent and also mentioned in King Hardicanute's reign. Styr was recorded as the ancestor of Steer, the word "Styr" was an Anglo-Saxon word for "battle" and not to be confused with steer, the animal. Steart, also called Stert, is a small village in Somerset, England. Geoffrey Ster was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1209 and later, Robert le Steer was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Willelmus Stere and Johannes Stere as residing there and holding lands at that time. 2 "The Steers or Steeres were a Newdegate family of gentry of the 17th and 18th centuries; and one of the members was rector of Newdegate from 1610 to 1660. The Steeres of Wootton parish in the 17th century were evidently connected with them, and a hundred years ago, Lee Steere, Esq., of Jayes, Wootton, owned property in Newdegate." 3

Early History of the Steers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steers research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1628, 1638, 1643, 1649, 1667, 1672, 1675, 1689, 1721, 1750, 1772 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Steers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steers Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Steer, Steere, Stear, Steare, Steerrs and others.

Early Notables of the Steers family

More information is included under the topic Early Steers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Steers family to Ireland

Some of the Steers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steers migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Steers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Steers, who landed in Virginia in 1637 4

Steers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham Steers, who arrived in America in 1795 4
Daniel Coxall Steers, aged 46, who landed in New York in 1799 4

Steers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Steers Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Ernest Steers, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Steers migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Steers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Steers, (Moody), British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. John Steers, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Ann Steers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
Elizabeth Steers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
Mary Ann Steers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steers migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Steers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Steers, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name Steers (post 1700) +

George Steers (1815-1856), American designer of yachts, best known for the famous racing yacht America
William D. Steers (b. 1955), American urologist, Chair of the Department of Urology at the School of Medicine of the University of Virginia
Thomas S. Steers (1804-1884), American law enforcement officer, Police Captain of the New York City Police Department
Larry Steers (1888-1951), American film actor who appeared in 426 films between 1917 and 1951
Henry Steers (1832-1903), American son of James Rich Steers
Henry Steers (1779-1852), born Henry Steer, an English-born, American shipbuilder, father of James Rich Steers, progenitor of the immigrant Steers family in America
James Rich Steers (1808-1896), English-born, American yacht builder and politician, he and his brother formed the firm George & James R. Steers
Edward Steers Jr., American historian specializing in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
Burr Gore Steers (b. 1965), American actor, screenwriter, and director, known for his work on Igby Goes Down (2002) and 17 Again (2009), nephew of writer Gore Vidal
Hugh Auchincloss Steers (1962-1995), American figurative painter who died of AIDS at the age of 32, brother to Burr Steers, son of Newton Steers
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Steers Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tu ne cede me
Motto Translation: Yield thou not to me

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm