Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Scottish Scottish: an occupational surname from the hereditary office of High Steward of Scotland, brought to Ireland mainly by Lowland Scots in the Plantation of Ulster.[1][2][3]
The name is built on the personal name steward (an office, not a personal name), usually explained as “household guardian, steward”. Stewart comes from an occupation. Wiktionary traces it through Middle Scots stewart to Old English stigweard, which Wikipedia breaks down as stig, 'household', and weard, 'guardian'. Woulfe derives the Irish form from the Norman 'le Stiward', the steward.[5][2][1]
Pronunciation
Stewart: STEW-ert (Stuart is said the same way)
Place
Where the Stewarts lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Londonderry
85 per 10,000
1,224 Stewarts · 3.81× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Antrim
74 per 10,000
3,515 Stewarts · 3.28× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 3,348 | 3,515 | — | 73 | 74 | — |
| Armagh | 333 | 344 | — | 27 | 29 | — |
| Carlow | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cavan | 116 | 92 | 81 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Clare | 42 | 56 | 37 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Cork | 117 | 113 | 82 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Donegal | 793 | 809 | 657 | 46 | 48 | 43 |
| Down | 1,696 | 1,747 | — | 59 | 57 | — |
| Dublin | 453 | 520 | 539 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Fermanagh | 155 | 138 | — | 24 | 23 | — |
| Galway | 46 | 51 | 87 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Kerry | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kildare | 32 | 44 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Kilkenny | 15 | 21 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Laois | 14 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Leitrim | 118 | 115 | 54 | 17 | 18 | 10 |
| Limerick | 54 | 48 | 47 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Londonderry | 1,224 | 1,022 | — | 85 | 73 | — |
| Longford | 38 | 10 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| Louth | 48 | 71 | 45 | 7 | 11 | 7 |
| Mayo | 28 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Meath | 34 | 39 | 43 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Monaghan | 173 | 166 | 155 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| Offaly | 25 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Roscommon | 43 | 32 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Sligo | 86 | 82 | 61 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Tipperary | 29 | 33 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tyrone | 618 | 609 | — | 41 | 43 | — |
| Waterford | 36 | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Westmeath | 20 | 22 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Wexford | 32 | 31 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Wicklow | 50 | 43 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 5 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Stewarts made up the largest share of the population. In Ards, Co. Donegal, about one resident in 8 was a Stewart.
| DED | County | Stewarts | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ards | Donegal | 85 | 12.9% |
| Kilmacrenan | Donegal | 68 | 8.5% |
| Caherhurly | Clare | 20 | 5.6% |
| Killynenagh | Monaghan | 35 | 5.1% |
| Grousehall | Donegal | 20 | 4.2% |
| Toome | Antrim | 47 | 4.0% |
| Brackagh Slieve Gallion | Londonderry | 35 | 4.0% |
| Carrigallen East | Leitrim | 18 | 3.8% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Stewart lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Stewarts of Castle Stuart (Lords Ochiltree)
Around Lough Roughan and Stewartstown · Tyrone
Andrew Stuart, 3rd Lord Ochiltree, a courtier of James VI and I, was one of the chief undertakers of the Ulster Plantation and received 3,000 acres in Co. Tyrone. Having resigned his Scottish title, he was made Baron Castle Stuart in 1619 in the Peerage of Ireland. His descendants revived the dormant title in 1774 and became Earls Castle Stewart in 1800, with their seat at Stuart Hall near Stewartstown.[6][7][8]
Stewarts of Ramelton
Ramelton, on Lough Swilly · Donegal
An Ulster Scots Protestant family of Donegal who held a baronetcy of Ramelton. William Stewart, son of Sir Alexander Stewart, 2nd Baronet, became a soldier and master-general of the ordnance and was created Viscount Mountjoy in 1682.[9][10]
Stewarts of Ballylawn and Mount Stewart (Marquesses of Londonderry)
Ballylawn in Inishowen, and Mount Stewart on Strangford Lough · Donegal, Down
A Presbyterian family of farmers and linen merchants from Ballylawn in Co. Donegal. Alexander Stewart married the heiress of Robert Cowan, governor of Bombay, and bought the Co. Down estate that became Mount Stewart in 1744. His son Robert was created Marquess of Londonderry in 1816, and his grandson was the statesman Lord Castlereagh.[11][12][13]
Stewarts of Newtownstewart
Newtownstewart, on the River Strule · Tyrone
Sir William Stewart acquired the plantation castle at Lislas, built by Sir Robert Newcomen in 1615, when he married Newcomen's daughter in 1629. He renamed the castle and town Newtownstewart.[14]
The name over time
History
From Breton stewards to Scottish kings
The Stewarts trace their line to Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton knight whose family had been stewards of Dol in Brittany and who settled in England after the Norman Conquest. His son Walter fitz Alan moved to Scotland in the reign of David I and was made High Steward of Scotland, with large estates in Renfrewshire. The office stayed in the family, and it gave them their surname. Woulfe notes that the stewardship was hereditary for two centuries before the family reached the throne, through the marriage of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward, to Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce.[2][3][15][1]
Stewart or Stuart?
The two spellings are the same name. Walter and Marjorie's son became Robert II in 1371, and the dynasty went on to rule Scotland and, from 1603, England and Ireland as well, until Queen Anne died in 1714. Wikipedia credits Mary, Queen of Scots, brought up in France, with fixing the spelling Stuart so that the name would keep its correct pronunciation in France. Wiktionary describes Stewart as the standard spelling for the royal house before her time. Both forms, along with Steuart and Steward, spread among people of the surname, many of whom had no link to the royal line.[2][16][5][1]
A Plantation surname
Woulfe found few traces of Stewarts in Ireland before the Plantation of Ulster and regarded nearly all Irish Stewarts as descendants of fairly recent arrivals from Scotland. Wikipedia likewise notes that many Lowland Stewarts settled in Ulster in the 17th century, with smaller numbers elsewhere in Ireland. Several leading planters bore the name. Andrew Stuart, Lord Ochiltree, was among the chief undertakers in Tyrone, where he built a bawn overlooking Lough Roughan and laid out the village of Stewartstown. Sources differ on whether he or his son should be counted as its founder.[1][2][7][8][6]
Stewarts in Tyrone and Donegal
Stewart estates and place names multiplied across west Ulster. In Tyrone, Sir William Stewart renamed the Newcomen castle at Lislas Newtownstewart after 1629. Robert Stewart of Irry, who inherited the Ochiltree estate at Roughan, first held a rebel command under Sir Phelim O'Neill in 1641 and later changed sides. In Donegal, the Stewarts of Ramelton held a baronetcy, and William Stewart of that family was made Viscount Mountjoy in 1682. Burke's General Armory records further Stewart families at Killymoon and at Athenry and Ballygawley in Tyrone, and at Ballymorran in Co. Down.[14][8][9][17]
Castlereagh and the Londonderry Stewarts
The best-known Irish Stewarts came from Ballylawn, at the south-west corner of Inishowen. Unusually for families rising into the Ascendancy, they were Presbyterians. Alexander Stewart's marriage to the heiress of a wealthy governor of Bombay transformed their fortunes, and in 1744 he bought the Co. Down estate later called Mount Stewart. His son Robert sat for County Down in the Irish parliament and was created Marquess of Londonderry in 1816. Robert's son, known as Lord Castlereagh, was British Foreign Secretary from 1812 to 1822 and a central figure at the Congress of Vienna.[11][12][13][18]
Places linked to the name
- Stewartstown (An Chraobh), Co. Tyrone — Plantation village named after Andrew Stuart, Lord Ochiltree, near the family's castle at Lough Roughan.[8][6]
- Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone — Town and castle renamed by Sir William Stewart after he acquired them in 1629.[14]
- Ramelton (Ráth Mealtain), Co. Donegal — Home of the Stewart baronets 'of Ramelton'; the town was settled by English and Scots planters in the 17th century.[9][10]
- Mount Stewart, Co. Down — House and gardens on Strangford Lough, the Irish seat of the Stewart Marquesses of Londonderry.[12]
Everyday lives
The Stewarts in the census
Who the Stewarts were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
Stewarts All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Stewart bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
172 Stewarts spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 1,443 |
| Farmer's son | 541 |
| Farmer's daughter | 315 |
| General labourer | 268 |
| House keeper | 215 |
| Seamstress | 195 |
| Agricultural labourer | 174 |
| Labourer | 161 |
| Farm servant | 147 |
| Linen weaver | 145 |
Born outside Ireland
7.6% of Stewarts in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 442 |
| Scotland | 249 |
| United States | 18 |
| Canada | 10 |
| India | 8 |
| Australia & NZ | 4 |
Median age: 24 in 1901, 25 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the Stewarts
Men and boys
- John1,138
- James1,075
- William943
- Robert706
- Thomas577
- Samuel388
- Joseph319
- George244
- Alexander238
- David238
Women and girls
- Mary811
- Jane509
- Margaret484
- Sarah460
- Elizabeth448
- Annie427
- Maggie298
- Lizzie281
- Martha234
- Agnes225
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, James, William, Thomas, Robert; Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, Annie, Bridget.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart | 8,755 | 8,855 | 1,738 | Search |
| Stuart | 1,072 | 999 | 418 | Search |
Related forms
- Stuart — The French-influenced spelling adopted by the royal house in the time of Mary, Queen of Scots.[2][1]
- Steuart — A further Scottish spelling, used for example in some accounts of Lord Ochiltree.[2][8]
- Steward, Stiward — Forms closest to the original occupational word, listed by Woulfe.[1]
- Vane-Tempest-Stewart — The compound name taken by the Marquesses of Londonderry after the 3rd Marquess married the Vane-Tempest heiress.[11]
Diaspora
The Stewarts abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Stewart | 324,957 | 61st |
| Stuart | 36,540 | 951st |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a Stewart coat of arms?
Arms belonged to particular families, so there is no single Stewart crest. Burke's General Armory says the first Stewart arms were adopted by the High Stewards of Scotland in the 12th century: gold, with a band of blue and silver chequers recalling the Steward's counting board. Burke records many Irish branches with their own versions, including Stewart of Fort Stewart, made baronets of Ireland in 1623, and Stewart of Ballymorran, Co. Down. Wikipedia gives 'Forward' as the motto of the Earls Castle Stewart.[17][6]
Websites selling a single “Stewart family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named Stewart
- Andrew Stuart, 1st Baron Castle Stuart (1560–1629) Scottish courtier of James VI and I and a chief undertaker in the Ulster Plantation.
- William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy (1653–1692) Soldier from the Stewarts of Ramelton, Co. Donegal, who became master-general of the ordnance.
- Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry (1739–1821) Presbyterian County Down landowner and Irish Volunteer who rose into the Ascendancy peerage.
- Robert Stewart, Lord Castlereagh (1769–1822) British Foreign Secretary from 1812 to 1822 and a leading figure at the Congress of Vienna.
- Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778–1854) Born Charles Stewart; soldier, diplomat and ambassador to Austria.
- Alexander Turney Stewart (1803–1876) Lisburn-born New York merchant who built one of the world's largest dry goods businesses.
- Sir Robert Prescott Stewart (1825–1894) Composer, organist and teacher, among the most influential musicians in 19th-century Ireland.
- Francis Stuart (1902–2000) Irish novelist elected a Saoi of Aosdána; his wartime years in Germany remain controversial.
- James Stewart (1908–1997) American film actor and military aviator who appeared in 80 films.
- Imogen Stuart (1927–2024) German-born Irish sculptor who worked mainly in wood and stone for churches.
- A. T. Q. Stewart (1929–2010) Northern Irish historian and best-selling author on the history and politics of Ulster.
- Rod Stewart (born 1945) British singer and songwriter, one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.
Questions
Questions about the Stewart name
Is Stewart an Irish or Scottish surname?
Scottish. Stewart comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, held by the family who became the royal House of Stuart. Woulfe found few traces of the name in Ireland before the Plantation of Ulster and concluded that nearly all Irish Stewarts descend from Scottish settlers of the 17th century and later, which is why it is so common in Ulster.[1][2]
Are Stewart and Stuart the same name?
Yes. Stuart is a French-influenced spelling of Stewart. Wikipedia says Mary, Queen of Scots, who grew up in France, settled on Stuart so the name would be pronounced properly there. Woulfe lists Stewart, Stuart and Steward as English forms of the same name, and both spellings are found among Irish families.[2][1][5]
What does Stewart mean?
It means 'steward'. Wiktionary traces it through Middle Scots stewart to Old English stigweard, which Wikipedia explains as stig, 'household', and weard, 'guardian'. The surname became famous through the family who held the hereditary post of High Steward of Scotland before becoming kings.[5][2]
What is Stewart in Irish?
Woulfe gives Stíobhard, with the variants Stíobhart and Stiúbhard, from the Norman 'le Stiward'. The Gaois dataset gives Stiobhard as the Irish form. Because Stewart is not a Gaelic Irish name, this is a later Irish rendering of a Scottish surname; the Scottish Gaelic form is Stiùbhart.[1][4][2]
How do you pronounce Stewart?
Usually 'STEW-ert', in two syllables. Wiktionary transcribes British pronunciations as /ˈstjuːət/ or /ˈstʃuːət/, and American as /ˈst(j)uɚt/. Stuart is pronounced the same way.[5]
Is there a Stewart family crest or coat of arms?
Not one for everyone named Stewart. Burke's General Armory explains that the original arms, a blue and silver chequered band on gold, were adopted by the High Stewards of Scotland, and it records many Irish Stewart families, such as those of Fort Stewart and Ballymorran, with their own versions. Each belonged to a particular family, not to the surname as a whole.[17]
Where in Ireland is the Stewart surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Stewarts lived in Antrim (3,515), Down (1,747), Londonderry (1,022). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Antrim (74 per 10,000), Londonderry (73 per 10,000), Down (57 per 10,000).
How common was the Stewart surname in Ireland?
9,854 people were recorded as Stewart or Stuart in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 59th most common surname. That is roughly 0.2% of the population, or 1 person in 446.
Looking for a Stewart ancestor?
Search every Stewart household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Patrick Woulfe, Stíobhard, Stíobhart, Stiúbhard, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, Stewart (name) (2026)
- Wikipedia, Clan Stewart (2026)
- Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte: Irish surnames database (version 2) (2022). Cluster 'Stiobhard': English Stewart.
- Wiktionary, Stewart
- Wikipedia, Earl Castle Stewart (2026)
- Wikipedia, Andrew Stuart, 1st Baron Castle Stuart (2026)
- Wikipedia, Stewartstown, County Tyrone (2026)
- Wikipedia, William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy (2026)
- Wikipedia, Ramelton (2026)
- Wikipedia, Marquess of Londonderry (2026)
- Wikipedia, Mount Stewart (2026)
- Wikipedia, Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry (2026)
- Wikipedia, Newtownstewart (2026)
- Wikipedia, Walter fitz Alan (2026)
- Wikipedia, House of Stuart (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'Stewart', including the High Stewards' arms and the Irish families of Fort Stewart, Ballymorran, Killymoon, Athenry and Ballygawley.
- Wikipedia, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (2026)
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.