Contents [hide]

Story History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Story History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Story family

The surname Story was first found in Northumberland where they were said to be descended from an ancient line of Viking settlers of knightly degree and with episcopal rank. Roughly translated from the Viking records the name means "dweller by large and rough water". They moved north into Renfrewshire, Scotland and acquired considerable estates. In Scotland, William Storie was a charter witness in Dundee in 1281. Walter Stori was canon of Aberdeen in 1320 and Adam Story was one of 'burgenses rure manentes in Aberdeen, 1317. [1]

A few years later, in England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 revealed Thomas Storre; Johannes Storre; and Roger Storre as all holding lands there at that time. "Storey is still among the most familiar of Yorkshire names, but it has become, of necessity, mixed with Storer, which also is well established in that county." [2]

The variant Stary dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where the original name Stari was recorded in Suffolk. [3] Later, John Starie was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275. In this case, the name may from the Old Norse name Stari, which was a nickname from stari, meaning "starling." [4]

Early History of the Story family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Story research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1468, 1477, 1503, 1504, 1545, 1554, 1569, 1571, 1576, 1603, 1642, 1664, 1670, 1691, 1698, 1700, 1701, 1706, 1721, 1742, 1789, 1790, 1795, 1805, 1807, 1809, 1811, 1815, 1834, 1859, 1860 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Story History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Story Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Storie, Storey, Sturye, De Stury, Storrie, Story and many more.

Early Notables of the Story family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Edward Story or Storey (died 1503), English priest, Bishop of Carlisle, 1468-1477, and Bishop of Chichester, 1477-1503; and Blessed John Story (or Storey) (1504-1571), English Roman Catholic martyr. H...
George Warter Story (1664?-1721) was an English clergyman, known for his history of the Williamite War in Ireland where his regiment marched to Ulster in 1691 after the surrender of Limerick. When the...

Story Ranking

In the United States, the name Story is the 1,494^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. [5]

Migration of the Story family to Ireland

Some of the Story family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Story migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Story Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elias Story, (d. 1621), who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" [6]
Miss Elizabeth Story, (Cotton) who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 aboard the ship "Griffin", daughter of Mrs. Sarah Cotton from her first marriage [7]
Augustine Story, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1638 [6]
George Story, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1643 [6]
William Story, who arrived in Virginia in 1645 [6]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Story Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander Story, who landed in New York in 1709 [6]
Hannah Story, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 [6]
Anne Story, who landed in Virginia in 1717 [6]
Thomas W Story, who arrived in New York in 1797 [6]
Ephram Story, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 [6]

Story Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ann Story, aged 16, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 [6]
Ben Story, aged 18, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 [6]
Andrew Story, aged 31, who arrived in New York, NY in 1805 [6]
Lieut. Story, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 [6]
James V Story, who landed in New York in 1826 [6]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Story migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Story Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ralph Story, who arrived in Canada in 1816
Sara Witham Story, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1818
Rev. George Story from Yorkshire settled as a schoolteacher in Carbonear, Newfoundland in 1872 [8]

Story migration to Australia +

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

Story Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Story, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [9]
William Story, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Amazon" [10]
George Story, aged 24, a gardener, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Star Queen" [11]
John Story, aged 23, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"

Story 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:

Story Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Story, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
Ethel Story, aged 9, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
Clara Story, aged 7, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
Catherione Story, aged 5, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880

Contemporary Notables of the name Story (post 1700) +

Timothy Kevin Story (b. 1970), American film director
Ralph Story (1920-2006), American television and radio personality
Nelson Story Sr. (1838-1926), pioneer Montana entrepreneur, cattle rancher, miner and vigilante
Rick Story (b. 1984), American mixed martial artist
Laura Story (b. 1978), American Contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter
William Wetmore Story (1819-1895), American sculptor, art critic, poet and editor
Joseph Story (1779-1845), American lawyer and jurist who served on the Supreme Court of the United States
Allyson Story, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 2008 [12]
Albert L. Story, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1956, 1960 [12]
Abbie Story, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1952 [12]
... (Another 33 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Story family +

Flight TWA 800

Mr. William R. Story (1955-1996), from Newport Beach, California, USA, American president and chief executive of insurance company flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash [13]

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMAZON 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/amazon1852.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 1st January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Star Queen 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/starqueen1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm