FastNamesStewart Surname
Scottish and English surname meaning "Occupational surname derived from Old English stīweard (stīw 'hall, household' and weard 'warden, guardian'), designating a high-ranking household steward or administrative officer.". Ranked 61st in the United States with 324,957 recorded bearers in the 2010 Census (110.2 per 100,000 Americans).
Meaning and origin of the surname Stewart
Occupational surname derived from Old English stīweard (stīw 'hall, household' and weard 'warden, guardian'), designating a high-ranking household steward or administrative officer.
Historically and linguistically, Stewart belongs to the Scottish and English family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "STOO-ərt".
United States Census frequency and ranking
In the official 2010 United States Census, Stewart was recorded 324,957 times, ranking as the 61st most common surname in the nation.
This represents an incidence rate of approximately 110.16 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 908 residents.
Race and ethnicity distribution
According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Stewartreported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:
| Racial or ethnic group | Share of bearers |
|---|---|
| White | 69.17% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.49% |
| Black or African American | 24.86% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.48% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.77% |
| Two or more races | 2.24% |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.
History of the surname Stewart
Stewart is an illustrious Scottish occupational surname originating from Old English stīweard (from stīw 'hall', 'pen', or 'household' and weard 'warden', 'guardian', or 'keeper'). In early medieval Scotland and Anglo-Saxon England, the steward held a preeminent administrative office, supervising the royal or baronial household, financial management, and civil administration of estates.
The surname attained royal status through Walter fitz Alan (c. 1110–1177), an Anglo-Norman nobleman appointed High Steward of Scotland by King David I. His descendant Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward, married Marjorie Bruce, daughter of King Robert the Bruce; their son ascended the Scottish throne in 1371 as King Robert II, inaugurating the royal House of Stewart (later often spelled Stuart under French influence), which governed Scotland and later England and Ireland for over three centuries.
Scottish and Scots-Irish emigrants brought Stewart in vast numbers to the American colonies during the eighteenth century, particularly throughout the Appalachian frontiers of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. In the 2010 United States Census, Stewart ranked 61st nationally with 324,957 recorded bearers.
Notable people with the surname Stewart
- James Stewart (1908–1997), American actor and Academy Award winner known for It's a Wonderful Life
- Rod Stewart (1945–), British rock and pop singer-songwriter
- Martha Stewart (1941–), American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality
- Patrick Stewart (1940–), English actor known for Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men
Variants and related surnames
Spelling variants
Related surnames
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, Peter McClure. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (2016), p. 2568.
- George Fraser Black. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History (1946), p. 751.
- U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 Census Surnames Data (2016). Reference link.