Contents [hide]

Steel History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Steel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland

Etymology of Steel

What does the name Steel mean?

A multitude of prestigious family names, such as the surname Steel, were formed in the lands which became the modern German state of Prussia, known for its beauty, industry and military power. However, in the medieval era, Prussia was fragmented and inhabited by numerous barbarian tribes, who fought amongst themselves for control of the land. The borders of the barbarian kingdoms, which were established after the fall of the Roman Empire, changed repeatedly. The region that came to be known as Prussia was roughly divided between the territories of Brandenburg-Prussia, West Prussia and East Prussia. The Steel family emerged in Brandenburg-Prussia, which is essentially the birthplace of modern Germany. By the 19th century, Brandenburg-Prussia had incorporated East Prussia, West Prussia and many other German territories. Moreover, in the late 19th century, it led the German states in the unification of Germany.

Early Origins of the Steel family

The surname Steel was first found in Prussia, where the name Stahl was closely associated in early medieval times with the feudal society which became prominent throughout Europe. The name later emerged as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches in Bavaria and Austria. Members of this family became noted for their involvement in social, economic and political affairs.

Early History of the Steel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steel research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1660, 1684, 1687, 1694, 1716, 1734, 1750, 1773, 1799 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Steel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steel Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Steel include Stahl, Stahler, Staal, Stahle, Stahli, Stal, Stall, Stahlin, Stahelin, Stahlberg, Stalberg, Stahlburger and many more.

Early Notables of the Steel family

Notable figures of the time with the name Steel were Marguerite De Launay, Baronne Staal (1684-1750), French author; and George Ernst Stahl (1660-1734), a German chemist and physician, who served as court...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steel World Ranking

In the United States, the name Steel is the 4,484^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Steel is ranked the 732^nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,305 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Steel is the 517^th popular surname with an estimated 1,334 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Steel as 603^rd with 10,843 people. 4

Steel migration to the United States +

Prussia played an extremely influential role in shaping modern German history. It remained a part of Germany until after the Second World War. Prussia was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany. Many Prussians became residents of these new countries after the War, and many migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly to Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Steel were

Steel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Steel, who settled in Connecticut in 1640
Clement Steel, who settled in Virginia in 1651
Eliz Steel, who landed in Virginia in 1663 5
Matthew Steel, who landed in Maryland in 1675 5
Isaac Steel, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1683 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Dennis Steel, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 5
Roelof Steel, who arrived in New York in 1715 5
Joost Steel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 5
Mathew Steel, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 5
Hugh Steel, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1759 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Moses Steel, who arrived in New York in 1801 5
Archibald Steel, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 5
Margaret Steel, aged 26, who arrived in Delaware in 1803 5
Martha Steel, who arrived in America in 1805 5
Mary Steel, who landed in America in 1805 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Steel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Steel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
John Steel, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Christn Steel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Peter Steel, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Samuel Steel, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jacob Steel, who arrived in Canada in 1828
William Steel, aged 25, who landed in Quebec in 1833
Samuel Steel, aged 10, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Ann Steel, aged 64, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Hugh Steel, aged 60, who landed in Quebec in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Steel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Steel, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Steel, British Convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Edmund Steel, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. William Steel, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Alfred Steel who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Steel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Steel, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. Thomas Steel, British settler as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 11
Mrs. Margaret Steel née Hunt, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 11
Mr. John Steel, (b. 1831), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 11
David Pike Steel, aged 22, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steel migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12

Steel Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Isaack Steel, who settled in Barbados in 1683

Contemporary Notables of the name Steel (post 1700) +

Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein- Steel (b. 1947), American author known for her romance novels, current best selling author alive and the fourth bestselling fiction author of all time; she has over 800 million copies sold
Ronald Lewis Steel (1931-2023), American writer, historian, and professor, best known as the definitive biography of Walter Lippmann
Dorothy Steel (1926-2021), American film and television actress who was known for starting her career in the industry at the age of 88, appearing in Hollywood films including Black Panther, Poms, and Jumanji: The Next Level
Robert King "Bob" Steel (b. 1951), American businessman, financier and politician, Deputy Mayor of New York City for Economic Development and Rebuilding (2010-2014), 16th Under Secretary for Domestic Finance (2006-2008)
Kat Steel, American actress, voice actress, presenter and model from West Bloomfield, Michigan
John Robert Steel (b. 1948), American set theorist at University of California, Berkeley
John W. Steel (1895-1971), American tenor who was featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 and 1920
Doctor Phineas Waldolf Steel, born Rion Vernon, an American musician and internet personality from Los Angeles
Dawn Leslie Steel (1946-1997), American studio head, one of the first women to run a major Hollywood film studio
George Steel, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Missouri 13th District, 1896
... (Another 54 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Steel family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Ralph Augustus Steel (d. 1979), American passenger, from USA aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 13

HMS Hood

Mr. Douglas M Steel (b. 1897), English Commander (Instructor) serving for the Royal Navy from Boston, Lincolnshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 14

RMS Titanic

Mr. Robert Edward Steel (d. 1912), age unknown, English Greaser from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 15

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html