Steads History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Steads has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a man of mettle, or someone noted for his high spirits. In this case, this surname is derived from the Old English word steda, which means stud-horse or stallion.

Early Origins of the Steads family

The surname Steads was first found in Yorkshire. "This surname is derived from a geographical locality, 'at the stead,' a place, a station, a settlement; compare homestead, market-stead (= market-place). A great Yorkshire surname. The Market-place, Manchester, was the Market-stead till the close of the last century. The Market-stead, Ulverston, is commonly so set down in the parish registers till 1790. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has only one listing of the family: John Stede, Suffolk; while the Yorkshire Polls Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Robertas del Stede; Ricardus del Stede; Petrus del Stede; and Laurence del Stede underlining the importance of the Yorkshire heritage versus any other.

Early History of the Steads family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steads research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1417, 1581, 1588, 1619, 1701, 1735 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Steads History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steads Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Steads have been found, including Stead, Steed and others.

Early Notables of the Steads family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steads Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Steads family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Steads, or a variant listed above: Thomas Stead who settled in Virginia in 1649; Elizabeth Stead settled in Nevis in 1660; another Elizabeth settled in New York State in 1774; Thomas Stead settled in Cape Fear N.C. in 1774.

Contemporary Notables of the name Steads (post 1700) +

Samuel Steads Partridge (b. 1839), American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Leicester, 1891-1911 2

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html