Contents [hide]

Steer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Steer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Steer family

The surname Steer 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 Steer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steer 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 Steer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steer Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Steer family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Steere (1643-1721), English-born immigrant to America from Chertsey, Surrey who became a colonial American merchant and poet

Migration of the Steer family to Ireland

Some of the Steer 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.

Steer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Steer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Steer, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 4
Ruth, Steer Jr., who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1734-1735 4
John Steer, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1753
Conrad Steer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 4
Christian Steer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1763 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John and Mary Steer, who settled in New York in 1820
William Steer, who settled in New Haven, Conn. in 1822
George Steer, aged 24, who landed in Missouri in 1848 4
T F Steer, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 4

Steer migration to Australia +

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

Steer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Steer, (b. 1801), aged 39 years 9 months, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Royal Consort" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th November 1840 5
Mrs. Mary Anne Steer, (b. 1808), aged 32, Cornish house keeper travelling aboard the ship "Royal Consort" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th November 1840 5
Mr. John Steer, (b. 1828), aged 12, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Royal Consort" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th November 1840 5
Miss Mary Anne Steer, (b. 1826), aged 14, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Royal Consort" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th November 1840 5
Miss Cathrine Steer, (b. 1834), aged 6 years 9 months, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Royal Consort" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th November 1840 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steer 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:

Steer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Steer, (b. 1810), aged 31, British agricultural labourer travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 6
Mrs. Jane Steer, (b. 1814), aged 27, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 6
Mr. Robert Steer, (b. 1832), aged 9, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 6
Mr. Henry Steer, (b. 1833), aged 8, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 6
Mr. John Steer, (b. 1835), aged 6, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Steer (post 1700) +

William F. Steer, American politician, Representative from New York 20th District, 1892 7
George Steer Jr., American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1904 7
Dugald Steer (b. 1965), English children's writer
William Geoffrey "Bill" Steer (b. 1969), English guitar player, and a founder of British Metal band Carcass
Serafina Steer (b. 1982), English harpist, pianist, singer, and songwriter
Philip Wilson Steer OM (1860-1942), British painter of landscape and portraits
Ricardo Steer (b. 1982), Colombian professional footballer
Irene Steer (1889-1947), Welsh Olympic freestyle swimmer
George Steer (1909-1944), British journalist, author and war correspondent

The Steer 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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html