Show ContentsStreeter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Streeter

What does the name Streeter mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Streeter come from when the family resided in any of a number of places called Street, in Herefordshire, Kent and Somerset. 1

Streeter is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Other types of local surnames include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname Streeter comes from the Old English word stræt, which means Roman road. In the Middle Ages, this word came to denote the main street in a village, and so the surname may also refer to someone who lived on the main street. 2 3

Early Origins of the Streeter family

The surname Streeter was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from ancient times, but by the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name had scattered throughout ancient Britain as those rolls include: Alice de la Strete, Oxfordshire and Alexander de la Strete, Kent. 4

Kirby's Quest listed John atte Strete, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year's reign of Edward III) 5 and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Elyas del Strete and Alicia del Strete as holding lands there at that time. 4

Some of the family emigrated to Ireland where the name was typically spelt Estrete or Strete and typically were found in Louth and Meath. We note that John Estrete, or Strete (died after 1511) was an Irish judge, author, law lecturer and statesman who held the offices of King's Serjeant, Deputy Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and Master of the Coinage of Ireland.

Early History of the Streeter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Streeter research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1621, 1624, 1625, 1650, 1653, 1666, 1670, 1679, 1680, 1689 and 1696 are included under the topic Early Streeter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Streeter Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Streeter has been recorded under many different variations, including Street, Streat, Strethe, Strete and others.

Early Notables of the Streeter family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Street (Streete) (1621-1689), an early English astronomer, best known for his book "Astronomia Carolina, a new theorie of Coelestial Motions" which was used as a reference for many years having at least three editions, eponym of the Street lunar crater.William Streat (1600?-1666), was an English divine, born in Devonshire. Thomas Street (1625-1696), was an English judge and politician from Worcester; Robert Streater (1621-1679), an English landscape, history, still-life and portrait artist, architectural painter and etcher, Serjeant Painter to King Charles II; and John Streater (fl. 1650-1670), was an...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Streeter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Streeter Ranking

In the United States, the name Streeter is the 2,415th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Streeter family to Ireland

Some of the Streeter family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Streeter migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Streeter or a variant listed above:

Streeter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Stephen Streeter, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1644 7
Streeter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Streeter, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 7
  • John Philip Streeter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1740 7
Streeter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Streeter, who landed in America in 1823 7
  • James Streeter, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
  • W Streeter, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
  • T J Streeter, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
  • A C Streeter, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Streeter migration to Australia +

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

Streeter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Alexander Streeter, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for life, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • James Streeter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Branken Moor" in 1840 9
  • Elizabeth Streeter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Branken Moor" in 1840 9
  • William Brankenmoor Streeter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Branken Moor" in 1840 9
  • Benjamin Streeter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 10

Streeter 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:

Streeter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • E. Streeter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
  • E. Streeter, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "William Watson" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th February 1859 11
  • John Streeter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865
  • Charlotte Streeter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865
  • Samuel Charles Streeter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Streeter (post 1700) +

  • Sarah Streeter (1953-2015), better known by her stage name Big Time Sarah, an American blues singer
  • Smith O. Streeter, American Olympic sliver medalist at the 1904 games
  • Edward Streeter (1891-1976), American novelist and journalist, best known for the novel Father of the Bride Jeff Streeter, a former NASCAR driver
  • Daniel Willard Streeter (b. 1883), American hunter, adventurer and author
  • Roberta Streeter (b. 1944), birth name of Bobby Gentry, the American country singer-songwriter, winner of the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy awards in 1968 for her song "Ode to Billie Joe"
  • Frank S. Streeter, American Republican politician, Member of Republican National Committee from New Hampshire, 1904 12
  • Farris B. Streeter, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 10th District, 1848-50 12
  • Bernard A. Streeter, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1972, 1988; Member of New Hampshire Governor's Council; Mayor of Nashua, New Hampshire, 2000- 12
  • Benjamin H. Streeter, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Wayne County 1st District, 1853 12
  • Arthur H. Streeter (b. 1870), American politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives Third Berkshire District, 1906 12
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRANKEN MOOR 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840BrankenMoor.htm
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ISABELLA WATSON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846IsabellaWatson.htm
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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