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

Stewart, 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 Stewart surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stewart in America

Stewart is the 61st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stewart surname appeared 324,957 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 110 people would have the surname Stewart.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stewart 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 Stewart

The surname Stewart is of Scottish origin, deriving from the occupation of a steward or estate manager. It emerged around the 12th century, from the Old English and Anglo-Norman French word "stiward" or "stuard," meaning an administrative officer responsible for managing a household or estate.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Stewart can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Stuard." Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern form of "Stewart," which became the predominant spelling in Scotland by the 15th century.

The Stewart family rose to prominence during the 13th century when Walter Stewart, a nobleman from Renfrewshire, married Marjorie, the daughter of King Robert I of Scotland (1274-1329). Their son, Robert II (1316-1390), became the first monarch of the House of Stewart, ruling Scotland from 1371 to 1390.

The Stewarts played a significant role in Scottish history, with several members ascending to the Scottish throne, including Robert III (1337-1406), James I (1394-1437), James II (1430-1460), and Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587). The Stewart dynasty ruled Scotland until the union with England in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England.

Another notable figure with the surname Stewart was Sir John Stewart of Darnley (1366-1429), who served as Constable of Scotland and fought alongside King Robert III during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.

In the 16th century, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley (1545-1567), gained notoriety as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of King James VI of Scotland.

Martha Stewart (born 1941), the American businesswoman, author, and television personality, is one of the most famous modern-day bearers of the Stewart surname.

The surname Stewart has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Stewart Island, Stewart's Melville College in Edinburgh, and the town of Stewartry in Dumfries and Galloway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stewart

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

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 Stewart 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 Stewart 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 Stewart was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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