Stewart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Stewart

What does the name Stewart mean?

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.

Stewart Coat of Arms Creation

The Stewarts are numerous in Scotland, and the many branches of this clan have their own crests. Nearly all of them have somewhere in their arms what Sir Walter Scott calls “The Stewart Chequer,” the ancient cognisance of the Stewarts which appears on the seal of Allan, the second High Steward of Scotland, appended to the charter of Melrose Abbey about 1190. The chequer represents the chessboards which of old the accountants of the King’s office made use of in calculating their accounts, from which probably the Exchequer had its name, as the office was under the charge of the High Steward.

The Earl of Galloway (a Stewart) has as crest a pelican in her nest feeding her young, and the motto, ” Virescit vulnera virtus ” (Valour strengthens from a wound).

The pelican feeding her young has often been used as an emblem of our Saviour and the affection of parents for their children. It is frequently used as a device of piety and devotion. In this case the motto is appropriate.

Families of the name of Paterson, Ormiston, Henry, and Cramond also have a pelican somewhere in their arms. 1

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.