Contents [hide]

Steward History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Steward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland-Alt
Scotland
Ireland

The Steward surname is derived from the Old English words "stigweard" or "stiweard," which meant a "guardian of the house." Thus this surname is derived from the occupation of steward. 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 Devon, where the first on record appears to be Rogere de Stiwerd, who lived there some time between 1100 and 1130. Other early records include an Alwinus Stiward, listed in the Domesday Book in 1148 in Winton, Hampshire; Reginald le Stiward, recorded in the Rotuli Chartarum as being in Dorset in 1205; and Martin Stewhard who is documented in the "Rotuli Hundredorum" as living in Norfolk in 1275. Ancestors of this family name first held the office of steward under the lords of Dol in Brittany in the 11th century. As a surname, Steward was first taken on in 13th century Scotland, where Walter FitzAlan (d. 1177,) a Norman noble, was created the "Great Steward of Scotland," by King David I of Scotland. This line of Stuarts became the ruling family of Scotland with King Robert II of Scotland in 1315, and the ruling family of Britain in 1603, when James VI of Scotland came to the English throne as James I of England. Not all bearers of this name can assume royal descent however; as in both England and Scotland in the early Middle ages, most every Bishop, Earl and manor had a steward, who may have taken on the name.

Early History of the Steward family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steward research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1230, 1316, 1575, 1591, 1615, 1643, 1645, 1726 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

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Steward, Stewart, Stuart, Steuart and others.

Early Notables of the Steward family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was King Robert II of Scotland (1316-90); Lady Arbella Stuart (Arabella and/or Stewart) (1575-1615), a noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England...
Another 35 words (2 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 62 words (4 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 +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Steward or a variant listed above:

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

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

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