Sterrett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The earliest origins of the Sterrett surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name reveals that an early member was a person whose personality or appearance called to mind a star. Sterrett is a nickname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Nicknames form a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, and can refer directly or indirectly to one's personality, physical attributes, mannerisms, or even their habits of dress. The surname Sterrett comes from the Old English words sterre, or starre, which mean star, and would have been given to someone with a bright personality. This word was also used to refer to a white patch of hair on the forehead of a horse, an so, it may have been transferred to refer to someone with a streak of white hair.

Early Origins of the Sterrett family

The surname Sterrett was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat from ancient times in the village of Longbridge Deverill at Glastonbury. It is said that King Alfred, King of the west Saxons, camped the night in the Deverill valley before defeating the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune in 878.

Early History of the Sterrett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sterrett research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1629, 1633, 1637 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Sterrett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sterrett Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Sterrett are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Sterrett include: Starr, Star, Starre, Ster, Sterr and others.

Early Notables of the Sterrett family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sterrett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sterrett Ranking

In the United States, the name Sterrett is the 10,412^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Sterrett family to Ireland

Some of the Sterrett 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.

Sterrett migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Sterrett or a variant listed above:

Sterrett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Sterrett, who landed in New England in 1718 2
James Sterrett who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1768

Sterrett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Sterrett, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 2

Sterrett Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Emilia A. Sterrett, who arrived in New York, N. Y. in 1919 aboard the ship "Antonio Lopez" from Malaga, Spain 3
Alice Sterrett, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Rotterdam" from Brest, France 3
Joseph E. Sterrett, aged 49, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 3
Ida Sterrett, aged 52, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "La Lorraine" from Le Havre, France 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Sterrett (post 1700) +

James M. Sterrett, American biologist with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1933-1935, eponym of the Sterrett Islands, Antarctica
James Patterson Sterrett (1889-1900), American Pennsylvania jurist, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Sterrett (1773-1821), American Maryland militia officer who served during the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812
Marjorie Sterrett, American school girl who sent her weekly allowance of a dime with a letter to the New York Tribune in 1916 asking that the money be used to help pay for a battleship, 200,000 dimes were collected from children, eponym of The Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund
John Robert Sitlington Sterrett (1851-1914), American classical scholar and archeologist, Professor of Greek at Cornell University from 1901
Charles Hurlbut "Dutch" Sterrett (1889-1965), American Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees 1912 to 1913
Cliff Sterrett (1883-1964), American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic strip Polly and Her Pals which ran from 1912 until 1958
James P. Sterrett, American politician, Justice of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, 1889-93; Chief Justice of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, 1893-99 4
James J. Sterrett, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1932 4
James Hoyt Sterrett (b. 1926), American Republican politician, Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 12th District, 1961-62 4
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Sterrett 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: Vive en espoir
Motto Translation: Live in hope

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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html