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Sturdy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Sturdy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

This surname is derived from a nickname for someone who was 'sturdy,' having derived from the Middle English word sturdi. 1

Early Origins of the Sturdy family

The surname Sturdy was first found in Wiltshire where Richard Estordet, Estordit was recorded in 1084, a full two years before the Domesday Book. Years later, we found Hugo Sturdy recorded in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. Sturdi (with no forename) was recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1230 and Geoffrey Sturdy, Sturdi was listed at Oseney, Oxfordshire in 1220. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings: Hamond Sturdi, Huntingdonshire; and Walter Sturdi, Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Robertus Sturdy. 1

Early History of the Sturdy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sturdy research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1273, 1618 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Sturdy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sturdy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Surdy, Sturdie, Sturdee, Sterdee, Stirdee, Sterdy and many more.

Early Notables of the Sturdy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Sturdy family of Yorkshire

Sturdy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sturdy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Sturdy, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 3

Sturdy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward Sturdy, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Caronia" from Liverpool, England 4
George Sturdy, aged 49, who arrived in New York City in 1919 from Las Palmas, Canary Islands 4
Fanny Sturdy, aged 43, originally from Nottingham, England, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Vestris" from Liverpool, England 4

Sturdy migration to Australia +

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

Sturdy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Sturdy, (b. 1792), aged 21, British Convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. William Sturdy, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Miss Harriet Sturdy who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 25th October 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Sturdy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Sturdy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Sturdy, aged 26, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 3
Mr. John Sturdy, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Sturdy (post 1700) +

Don Sturdy (1940-2022), stage name of Howard Hesseman, American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati
Guy R. Sturdy (1899-1965), American Major League Baseball first baseman who played from 1927 to 1928 with the St. Louis Browns
John Vivian Mortland Sturdy (1933-1996), English clergyman and academic, Dean of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Daryl Sturdy (1940-1964), Canadian rower who competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 1968 Summer Olympics
Martha Sturdy (b. 1942), Canadian artist and designer, known for her wearable sculpture in the late 1970s
John Henry Sturdy (1893-1966), Canadian educator and politician who represented Saskatoon City from 1944 to 1960 in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Robert Sturdy (b. 1944), British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the East of England region
Thomas Sturdy Law (1916-1997), Scottish poet whose work was published throughout the latter half of the 20th century
Caroline Sturdy Colls (b. 1985), British historian, Professor of Conflict Archaeology and Genocide Investigation at Staffordshire University
Godfrey Sturdy Incledon-Webber, company executive, Sheriff of London, and High Sheriff of the county of Devon

Historic Events for the Sturdy family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Charles Frederick Sturdy, Canadian 1st Class Passenger from Montréal, Quebec, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 10

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/