Show ContentsGuest History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Guest Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Guest

What does the name Guest mean?

The surname Guest is derived from the Old English word "giest," which in turn comes from the Old Norse Word "gestr," both of which mean "guest" or "stranger." This name was most likely originally a nickname for a guest or stranger, which then became a hereditary surname. 1

Early Origins of the Guest family

The surname Guest was first found in Worcestershire where Richard Thomas Guest held lands and manors in 1275, as listed in the Subsidy Rolls for that county. 2

Perhaps the earliest record of the name is of Beowoldus Gest, who lived c.1100 as listed in the book "Old English Bynames." Richard, Thomas le Gest were listed c.1248 and in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Roger Gest in Wiltshire and Gilbert de Geyste in Norfolk. The Feet of Fines listed Adam le Gest 11, Edward I (during the eleventh year of King Edward I's reign.) 3

Roger le Gist was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III 4 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Rogerus Gest and Robertus Gest.

Early History of the Guest family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guest research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1275, 1327, 1377, 1517, 1518, 1536, 1577, 1640, 1660, 1706, 1729, 1743, 1747, 1759 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Guest History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guest Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gest, Gist, Guest and others.

Early Notables of the Guest family

  • Edmuind Guest, Gheast or Geste (1518-1577), Bishop of Salisbury, "born in 1517-18 at Northallerton, Yorkshire. His father, Thomas, belonged to a Worcestershire family, the Gestes of Row Heath in the p...
  • George Guest (1660-1747), lieutenant-general, was a Yorkshireman of obscure origin. Local antiquaries have discovered no trace of his father. His mother was Mary Guest, afterwards Smith, who was bapti...

Guest Ranking

the United States, the name Guest is the 3,312nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Guest is ranked the 598th most popular surname with an estimated 10,962 people with that name. 6

Guest migration to the United States +



Guest Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Guest, who arrived in Maryland in 1637 8
  • Walter Guest, who arrived in Maryland in 1640 8
  • George Guest, who purchased landed in Virginia in 1647
  • Geo Guest, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 8
  • Anthony Guest made the voyage to Virgnia in 1663
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Guest Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas R Guest, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1812 8
  • John Guest, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 8
  • Joseph Guest, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 8

Guest migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Miss Ann Guest, (Letitia), (1764 1827), aged 26, British settler convicted in London, England in 1789, sentenced to Life for assault, transported aboard the ship "Mary Ann" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 7
  • Miss Sarah Guest, (1758 - 1813), aged 32, British settler convicted in Warwickshire, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for robbery, transported aboard the ship "Mary Ann" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 8
Third Fleet
  • Mr. George Guest, (b. 1767), aged 20, English labourer convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire on 4th March 1784, sentenced for 7 years for stealing animals, transported aboard the ship "Alexander" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 8
Following the Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Guest Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Guest 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:

Guest Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Lucy Guest, (b. 1830), aged 28, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 14
  • Miss Guest, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Nevada" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th June 1871 14
  • John Guest, aged 25, a shoemaker, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ocean Mail" in 1875
  • Emma Guest, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ocean Mail" in 1875
  • William Guest, aged 42, a gas stoker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ionic" in 1884
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Guest (post 1700) +

  • Ann Hutchinson Guest MBE (1918-2022), American world authority on dance notation and movement analysis, awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Dance Studies in 1998
  • William Franklin Guest (1941-2015), American R&B/soul singer, best known for his work with Gladys Knight & the Pips; he was Gladys Knight's cousin
  • Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959), American (English born) prolific poet
  • Judith Guest (b. 1936), American author, best known for her book, "Ordinary People"
  • Jim Guest (b. 1940), American aerospace engineer and politician; state representative
  • Barbara Guest (1920-2006), American poet and critic
  • James A. Guest, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Vermont, 1982 15
  • George Guest (b. 1866), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1904, 1912 (alternate) 16
  • Elizabeth Polk Guest (1910-1990), American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1944, 1948 16
  • ... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Halsted
  • Mr. Peter Edward Guest (b. 1926), British Royal Navy ordinary seaman from Essex, England was stationed aboard the "HMS Halsted" when it was struck by torpedo by Jaguar and Mowe of the Cherbourg coast on 11th June 1944, he did not survive
  • Mr. Alan Guest (b. 1923), English Band Boy serving for the Royal Marine from Bilston, Staffordshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16
  • Mr. Robert Guest (d. 1912), aged 32, English Third Class passenger from London who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 17

Suggested Readings for the name Guest +

  • Guest-Guess, History and Lineage in America by Alta Louise Biggs Martin.
  • Our Guest Is Your Guess: With Related Families of Biss, Jones, Gimbel, and Gist: Including Over One Thousand Surnames by Patricia Ann Guest.
  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  16. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  17. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html

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