Steward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland-Alt
Scotland
Ireland

Scotland's history is inextricably linked to that of the Royal Clan, the Clan Stewart. The surname Steward was an occupational name for a steward, the official in charge of a noble household and its treasury. It derives from the Old English word "stigweard," a compound of "stig," or "household," and "weard," or "guardian." As every great house, Earl and Bishop in medieval England and Scotland had its stewards, this office has given rise to many lines of this hereditary surname.

Early Origins of the Steward family

The surname Steward was first found in Scotland, where records of Steward as a surname, and not just an occupation began to be found from the 13th century. The ancestors of the famed Royal Stewart line of Scotland descend from a family Breton nobles named Flaald, the name is therefore of Anglo-Norman extraction. The name arrived in Britain with Alan, a knight who settled in Oswestry in Shropshire.

Early History of the Steward family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steward research. Another 397 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1230, 1343, 1371, 1382, 1405, 1452, 1467, 1476, 1479, 1503, 1504, 1508, 1545, 1565, 1567, 1598, 1641, 1653, 1659, 1662, 1675, 1688, 1692, 1714, 1720, 1728, 1745, 1746, 1807 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Steward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steward Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stewart, Steward, Stillbhard (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Steward family

Notable among the family at this time was Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (Wolf of Badenoch) (1343-1405), third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland, first Earl of Buchan since John Comyn (1382-1405), Justiciar of Scotia for a time, but not an effective one, held large territories in the north of Scotland before eventually losing a large part of them, remembered for his destruction of the royal burgh of Elgin and its cathedral, nickname was earned due to his notorious cruelty and rapacity but there is no proof that it was used during his lifetime; John Stewart, Earl of Mar...
Another 153 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steward Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steward Ranking

In the United States, the name Steward is the 1,192^nd most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Steward family to Ireland

Some of the Steward family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 151 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steward migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Steward Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Steward, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 aboard the ship "Fortune" 2
Charles Steward, who arrived in Virginia in 1635
Charles Steward, who landed in Maryland in 1640 2
John Steward, who landed in Maryland in 1651 2
John Steward, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steward Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Gawhon Steward, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 2
Robert Steward, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 2
Peter Steward, who landed in Virginia in 1705 2
Donald Steward, who landed in South Carolina in 1716 2
Daniel Steward, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steward Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John C Steward, aged 24, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
David Steward, who arrived in America in 1807 2
Samuel Steward, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Geo Steward, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
Thomas Steward, aged 23, who arrived in America in 1822 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steward migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Steward Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Allen Steward, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Ann Steward, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Charles Steward, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Daniel Steward, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Elis Stewd Steward, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steward migration to Australia +

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

Steward Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Steward, British Convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. John Steward, English shoe maker who was convicted in Kent, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. William Charles Steward, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. George Steward, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. William Steward, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steward 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:

Steward Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain Steward, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merchantman' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand and Auckland New Zealand on 6th September 1855 8
Mr. William Steward, (b. 1831), aged 32, British weaver travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 8
J. W. Steward, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Fruing" in 1875
William Steward, aged 27, a carpenter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1878

Steward 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. 9

Steward Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Steward, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Steward (post 1700) +

Austin Steward (1793-1860), American abolitionist and author
William Steward, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County, 1803-04 11
S. V. Steward, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1924 11
Oramel G. Steward, American politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from East Montpelier, 1888 11
Morris P. Steward, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 2008 11
Nellie Lee Steward, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1924 11
Lewis Steward (1824-1896), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Governor of Illinois, 1876; U.S. Representative from Illinois 8th District, 1891-93 11
L. L. Steward Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1952, 1956 11
John L. Steward, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Concepcion, 1926 11
John Steward, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Chautauqua County 1st District, 1863-64 11
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Steward family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Charles Steward, British Assistant Steward, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 12

The Steward 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: Virescit vulnere virtus
Motto Translation: Courage grows stronger at the wound.

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html