Stewart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Scotland’s history is inextricably linked to that of the Royal Clan, the Clan Stewart. The surname Stewart was an occupational name for a steward, the official in charge of a noble household and its treasury. It derives from the Old English word “stigweard,” a compound of “stig,” or “household,” and “weard,” or “guardian.” As every great house, Earl and Bishop in medieval England and Scotland had its stewards, this office has given rise to many lines of this hereditary surname.

Early Origins of the Stewart family

The surname Stewart was first found in Scotland, where records of Stewart as a surname, and not just an occupation began to be found from the 13th century. The ancestors of the famed Royal Stewart line of Scotland descend from a family Breton nobles named Flaald, the name is therefore of Anglo-Norman extraction. The name arrived in Britain with Alan, a knight who settled in Oswestry in Shropshire.

Stewart Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stewart, Steward, Stillbhard (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Stewart family (pre 1700)

Notable among the family at this time was Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (Wolf of Badenoch) (1343-1405), third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland, first Earl of Buchan since John Comyn (1382-1405), Justiciar of Scotia for a time, but not an effective one, held large territories in the north of Scotland before eventually losing a large part of them, remembered for his destruction of the royal burgh of Elgin and its cathedral, nickname was earned due to his notorious cruelty and rapacity but there is no proof that it was used during his lifetime; John Stewart Earl.

Stewart World Ranking

In the United States, the name Stewart is the 51^st most popular surname with an estimated 330,771 people with that name. [1] However, in Canada, the name Stewart is ranked the 27^thmost popular surname with an estimated 50,758 people with that name. [2] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Stewart is the 909^th popular surname. [3] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Stewart as 632^nd with 71 people. [4] Australia ranks Stewart as 35^th with 46,244 people. [5] New Zealand ranks Stewart as 20^th with 6,108 people. [6] The United Kingdom ranks Stewart as 61^stwith 72,015 people. [7] South Africa ranks Stewart as 922^nd with 7,582 people. [8]

 Migration of the Stewart family to Ireland

Some of the Stewart family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Stewart migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Stewart Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Austin Stewart, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1651
• Austin Stewart in Boston in 1651
• Charles Stewart, a Royalist soldier captured at Worcester, sent to Boston aboard the “John and Sara” in 1652
• Austin Stewart, who landed in America in 1652 [9]
• Cha Stewart, who landed in America in 1652 [9]