NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Stewart

A masculine given name derived from "steward", an occupational surname.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Stewart is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Stewart popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 64 births.

This profile covers 478 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 5% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 4,836 living people in the UK are called Stewart. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.

Key insights

  • • Stewart ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
  • • The name peaked in 1996, when 64 boys were registered as Stewart.
  • • Stewart ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #207 in 2006.
  • • About 4,836 living people in the UK are estimated to have Stewart as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4991

2023

Births in 2023

3

Latest year

Peak year

1996

64 births

Estimated living

4,836

2026

Meaning

What does Stewart mean?

The name Stewart is a masculine given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the occupational surname Stewart, which means "steward" or "guardian." The name has its roots in the medieval period when the position of a steward, responsible for managing household affairs and estates, was a prominent role.

The earliest recorded use of the name Stewart dates back to the 12th century, when members of the Stewart family held the position of High Stewards of Scotland. The most notable figure was Walter Stewart, who served as the 6th High Steward of Scotland from 1292 to 1326. His son, Robert II, became the first monarch of the House of Stewart when he ascended to the Scottish throne in 1371.

Throughout the medieval and Renaissance periods, the name Stewart gained prominence in Scotland and was associated with the royal lineage. Several Scottish monarchs bore the name, including James I (1394-1437), James II (1430-1460), and James IV (1473-1513). The name also spread beyond Scotland, with notable figures such as Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley (1545-1567), the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Beyond the realm of royalty, the name Stewart has been carried by various historical figures, including Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891), an Irish nationalist politician and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and James Maitland Stewart (1908-1997), the renowned American actor known for his roles in classic films such as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Rear Window."

Other notable individuals with the given name Stewart include Stewart Granger (1913-1993), a British actor known for his roles in adventure films, and Stewart Udall (1920-2010), an American politician who served as the Secretary of the Interior under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

The name Stewart has also been associated with various literary works, such as the poem "The Lady of the Lake" by Sir Walter Scott, where one of the central characters is named Roderick Dhu, a Highland chieftain of the Clan Alpine, whose given name is Stewart.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Stewart over time

The chart below shows babies named Stewart registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Stewart, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 64 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Stewart
016324864199620092023

Decades

Stewart by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Stewart was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4079 16 4
2010s #2724 79 10
2000s #1174 190 10
1990s #454 193 4

Geography

Where Stewart is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Stewart. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Stewart ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #207 in 2006.

Northern Ireland
8
Scotland
5

Across the UK

Stewart in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#522 in 2022

49 years of NRS records, 4,406 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#207 in 2006

8 years of NISRA records, 80 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Stewart

  • Stewart Yetton

    association football player

    English footballer (born 1985)

    1985-

  • Stewart Seymour

    cricketer

    English cricketer (born 1974)

    1974-

  • Stewart Wright

    actor; film actor; television actor

    actor

    1974-

  • Stewart Talbot

    association football coach; association football player

    British footballer (born 1973)

    1973-

  • Stewart Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield

    politician

    life peer in the House of Lords (born 1968)

    1968-

  • Stewart Regan

    Scottish Football Association executive

    1964-

  • Stewart Robson

    association football player; sports commentator

    English footballer (born 1964)

    1964-

  • Stewart Williams

    rugby league player

    English rugby league footballer

    1958-

Related

Names similar to Stewart

FAQ

Stewart: questions and answers

How popular is the name Stewart in the UK right now?

In 2023, Stewart was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Stewart most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 64 babies registered as Stewart in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Stewart?

A masculine given name derived from "steward", an occupational surname.

How many people are called Stewart in the UK?

A total of 478 babies have been registered as Stewart across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4,406 more in Scotland and 80 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Stewart most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Stewart ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #207 in 2006. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.