Find out how popular the last name Steed is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Steed.

Steed, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Steed surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Steed in America

Steed is the 3484th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Steed surname appeared 10,250 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Steed.

We can also compare 2010 data for Steed to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Steed

The surname Steed is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "stede," which means "steed" or "horse." The name likely originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with horses, such as a stable hand or a horse breeder.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Steed can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, which mention a William Stede. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which list a John Stede.

The Steed name is associated with several place names in England, such as Stede Hill in Lincolnshire and Stede Field in Derbyshire. These place names likely reflect the presence of individuals with the Steed surname in those areas.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Stede, Steed, and Stede. One notable figure from this period was John Stede, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset who lived in the late 1300s.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Steed surname became more widespread across England. One prominent individual was Sir Thomas Steed (1545-1624), a member of Parliament and landowner from Wiltshire.

In the 18th century, the Steed name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. Notable individuals from this time include William Steed (1721-1801), a renowned clockmaker from Bury St Edmunds, and Reverend Henry Steed (1742-1828), a clergyman and author from Norfolk.

The 19th century saw the Steed surname spread further across England and into other parts of the British Isles. One notable figure was Sir John Steed (1825-1892), a British engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of railways and bridges.

Another prominent individual was Alfred Steed (1855-1923), an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and scored over 14,000 runs in his career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Steed

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Steed.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Steed was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Steed has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Steed was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Steed, please contact us.

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