This surname was found in various counties and was derived from the Old English "anstiga" which meant "narrow or lonely track" There are multiple listings in the
Domesday Book [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) including:
Leicestershire (Anstige), East and West Anstey,
Devon (Anestinga) Ansty,
Warwickshire (Anestie), Ansty Cross, Higher Ansty,
Dorset (Anesty)
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)Early Origins of the Anstee family
The surname Anstee was first found in
Wiltshire in eastern
England, where the family name had been settled from very ancient times.
Early History of the Anstee family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anstee research.
Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1724, 1805, 1669, 1744, 1718 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Anstee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anstee Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few
hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early
Anglo-Saxon surnames like Anstee are characterized by many
spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Anstee include: Anstey, Anstie, Ansty, Anstay, Anstee and others.
Early Notables of the Anstee family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Christopher Anstey (1724-1805), English writer and poet; John Anstis (1669-1744), English officer of arms and antiquarian who became Garter...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Anstee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Anstee family to the New World and Oceana
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Anstee or a variant listed above:
Anstee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Henry Anstee, who arrived in Colorado in 1878 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Contemporary Notables of the name Anstee (post 1700)
- Dame Margaret Joan Anstee DCMG (1926-2016), British diplomat, Director-General of the UN Office in Vienna (1987–1992)
- Nick Anstee (b. 1958), English politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of the City of London, from 2009 to 2010
- Dorothy Rae Anstee AM, DStJ (b. 1932), Australian nurse, Director of Nursing at the Austin Hospital, Melbourne from 1977 to 1995