Sturtevant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

The evidence is not conclusive, "but the name (found also as Startivant) is apparently a nickname—‘Start Away’ !—for a messenger or pursuivant [from Middle English sterten, to start, and Anglo-French ava(u)nt, forward, away, Old French avant, Latin ab ante]" 1

Bardsley agrees with this origin of the name and negates the idea that "this sobriquet would seem to be a compound of sturdy, rash, inconsiderate; and avaunt, a boast, a vaunt, and also an old French sobriquet for some reckless boaster. " (Bardlsey)

Early Origins of the Sturtevant family

The surname Sturtevant was first found in Yorkshire, where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include a few early spellings: Willeimus Styrtauant; Willeimus Stirciuant; and Robertas Stircyuant. All held lands there at that time. 2

Later John Stirtava(u)nt was listed in the Yorkshire in 1404; Richard and Thomas Stirtava(u)nt were listed as Freemen of York in 1413 and 1447. Alan Stertevaunt was listed in Yorkshire in 1445. 3

Early History of the Sturtevant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sturtevant research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1570, 1604, 1685, 1780, 1782, 1812, 1830 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Sturtevant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sturtevant Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sturtevant, Sturdivantt, Sturtivantt, Sturtivant, Sturdevant, Sturdivant, Sturtifant, Sturdifant, Sturdyvant, Sturdyfant, Sturtevant, Sturdavent and many more.

Early Notables of the Sturtevant family

Distinguished members of the family include Willelmus Styrtauant, a prominent landholder during the 14th century. The Sturdivant Gang was a multi-generational, American family of counterfeiters, whose criminal activities took place over a fifty-year period, from the 1780s, in...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sturtevant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sturtevant Ranking

In the United States, the name Sturtevant is the 9,184^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Sturtevant migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sturtevant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Samuel Sturtevant, who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1642
Mary Sturtevant, who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1642
Samuel Sturtevant, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1643 5

Sturtevant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

R. Sturtevant went to San Francisco in 1850
E. Sturtevant, who settled in San Francisco in 1851
B. T. Sturtevant, who settled in San Francisco in 1852
O. B. Sturtevant, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852
M. Sturtevant, who settled in San Francisco in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sturtevant (post 1700) +

Paul Allen Sturtevant (1898-1987), American inventor of the beam type torque wrench (1938)
John Cirby Sturtevant (1835-1912), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1897-1899)
Grace Sturtevant (1865-1947), American iris breeder who has been called "America's first lady of iris", founding member of the American Iris Society, daughter of Edward Lewis Sturtevant
Edward Lewis Sturtevant (1842-1898), American agronomist and botanist
Butler Stevens Sturtevant (1899-1971), American landscape architect
Benjamin Franklin Sturtevant (1833-1890), American businessman, founder of B. F. Sturtevant Company was a Boston-based manufacturer of fans in 1860
Aaron Paul Sturtevant (b. 1979), birth name of Aaron Paul, an American actor, best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series Breaking Bad
Elaine Frances Sturtevant (b. 1930), née Horan, an American artist from Lakewood, Ohio
Edgar H. Sturtevant (1875-1952), American linguist from Jacksonville, Illinois
Albert D. Sturtevant (1894-1918), American naval officer, recipient of the Navy Cross, eponym of USS Sturtevant (DD-240) and the USS Sturtevant (DE-239)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)
"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)