Show ContentsStrouds History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The illustrious surname Strouds is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Strouds is a place-name from in Stroud, a parish in Gloucestershire or from Strood, a parish in Kent.

Early Origins of the Strouds family

The surname Strouds was first found in Somerset where they were descended from the Alain, the Duke of Bretagne who arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066 A.D. The first to be granted lands was Sir Warinus Strode, Lord of Strode in Dorset, whose lands also pervaded Somerset. The Devon branch were originally from Strode, in the parish of Ermington, where Adam de Strode the first recorded ancestor was seated in the reign of Henry III. [1]

Early History of the Strouds family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Strouds research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1249, 1290, 1350, 1360, 1400, 1480, 1522, 1561, 1589, 1597, 1598, 1600, 1624, 1626, 1637, 1638, 1643, 1645, 1660, 1666, 1676, 1685, 1689, 1690, 1707, 1750 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Strouds History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strouds Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Strode, Stroud, Strowd, Stroude, Strowde and others.

Early Notables of the Strouds family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was Colonel Strode of Southhill; Ralph Strode (fl. 1350-1400), an English schoolman, fellow of Merton College, Oxford, before 1360; Sir Richard Strode (c. 1480-1522), English tinner and British Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle, Devon; and Richard Strode (1638-1707), British Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle from 1685-1689 and 1690; William Strode (1598-1645), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Strouds Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Strouds family

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Strouds, or a variant listed above: George Strode who settled in Barbados in 1678; Henry, John and Margaret Strode also settled in Barbados in 1680 with their servants; John Stroud settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635.



The Strouds 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: Hyeme viresco
Motto Translation: I flourish (or am green) in winter.


  1. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.


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