NameCensus.

UK surname

Steele

An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked with steel or was hard and enduring like steel.

In the 1881 census there were 8,027 people recorded with the Steele surname, ranking it #518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,239, ranked #358, up from #518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wolstanton and Burslem. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barra and South Uist, Copeland and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Steele is 17,549 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 114.8%.

1881 census count

8,027

Ranked #518

Modern count

17,239

2016, ranked #358

Peak year

2010

17,549 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Steele had 8,027 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,239 in 2016, ranked #358.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 11,924 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Steele surname distribution map

The map shows where the Steele surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Steele surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Steele over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,612 #788
1861 historical 3,617 #775
1881 historical 8,027 #518
1891 historical 9,655 #461
1901 historical 11,924 #438
1911 historical 10,920 #447
1997 modern 16,131 #373
1998 modern 17,366 #360
1999 modern 17,471 #360
2000 modern 17,278 #360
2001 modern 16,903 #359
2002 modern 17,287 #359
2003 modern 16,930 #359
2004 modern 16,856 #358
2005 modern 16,638 #356
2006 modern 16,669 #355
2007 modern 16,824 #352
2008 modern 16,877 #353
2009 modern 17,351 #352
2010 modern 17,549 #357
2011 modern 17,321 #359
2012 modern 17,046 #357
2013 modern 17,255 #362
2014 modern 17,416 #360
2015 modern 17,244 #361
2016 modern 17,239 #358

Geography

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Where Steeles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wolstanton, Burslem and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barra and South Uist, Copeland and Cheshire East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Burslem Staffordshire
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barra and South Uist Na h-Eileanan Siar
2 Copeland 008 Copeland
3 Copeland 007 Copeland
4 Cheshire East 039 Cheshire East
5 Copeland 004 Copeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Steele

These lists show first names that appear often with the Steele surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Steele

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Steele, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Steele surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Steele household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Steele is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Steele is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Steele falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Steele is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Steele, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Steele

The surname STEELE is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'stele', meaning 'a haft' or 'a handle'. This was likely an occupational name given to someone who made or worked with handles, hafts, or other related tools.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Stele'. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name appears in various forms such as 'Stel', 'Stele', and 'Stell', reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. Some of these early spellings may also be connected to place names like Stele in Staffordshire or Stelling in Kent.

Notable individuals with the surname STEELE include Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729), an Irish writer and playwright who co-founded The Spectator magazine. Another famous bearer of the name was Thomas Steele (1788-1848), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.

In the 13th century, the surname STEELE can be found in various records, including the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208, which mention a Richard Stel. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list several individuals with the name, such as Walter le Stel and Adam le Stel.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name became more standardized as 'Steele'. Notable figures from this period include Sir Richard Steele (1617-1692), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland.

Other prominent individuals with the surname STEELE include Sir John Steele (1758-1853), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy, and Sir Thomas Steele (1788-1848), a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Bahamas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Steele families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Steele surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Staffordshire leads with 881 Steeles recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 881 3.34x
Yorkshire 739 0.95x
Lancashire 667 0.72x
Cheshire 513 2.97x
Middlesex 473 0.61x
Lanarkshire 457 1.81x
Cumberland 386 5.73x
Ayrshire 295 5.04x
Surrey 281 0.74x
Hampshire 273 1.70x
Sussex 203 1.54x
Angus 187 2.58x
Midlothian 176 1.68x
Durham 173 0.74x
Gloucestershire 149 0.97x
Northumberland 144 1.24x
Aberdeenshire 118 1.63x
Warwickshire 113 0.57x
Renfrewshire 95 1.57x
Derbyshire 92 0.75x
Kent 91 0.34x
Perthshire 90 2.57x
Essex 77 0.50x
Dorset 71 1.38x
Glamorgan 67 0.49x
Suffolk 66 0.69x
Westmorland 64 3.73x
Roxburghshire 63 4.45x
Oxfordshire 60 1.24x
Herefordshire 56 1.75x
Norfolk 55 0.46x
Fife 50 1.08x
Rutland 48 8.36x
Leicestershire 45 0.52x
Lincolnshire 43 0.34x
Dumfriesshire 42 2.43x
West Lothian 42 3.57x
Devon 40 0.25x
Banffshire 39 2.41x
Inverness-shire 39 1.67x
Worcestershire 39 0.38x
Shropshire 34 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 27 0.26x
East Lothian 25 2.41x
Peeblesshire 25 6.80x
Selkirkshire 23 3.25x
Berwickshire 22 2.32x
Bedfordshire 19 0.47x
Dunbartonshire 19 0.90x
Monmouthshire 19 0.34x
Buckinghamshire 18 0.38x
Northamptonshire 17 0.23x
Somerset 16 0.13x
Isle of Man 15 1.03x
Berkshire 14 0.24x
Channel Islands 13 0.56x
Kincardineshire 13 1.37x
Cornwall 12 0.14x
Hertfordshire 11 0.20x
Clackmannanshire 10 1.55x
Royal Navy 9 0.97x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.12x
Wiltshire 6 0.09x
Argyllshire 5 0.23x
Morayshire 5 0.41x
Stirlingshire 5 0.17x
Flintshire 4 0.19x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 0.35x
Montgomeryshire 4 0.22x
Buteshire 3 0.63x
Merionethshire 2 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.03x
Caithness 1 0.09x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.04x
Ross-shire 1 0.05x
Shetland 1 0.13x
Wigtownshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 318 Steeles recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.36x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 318 11.36x
Burslem 104 13.76x
Govan 85 1.36x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 84 1.99x
Wolstanton 69 8.61x
Cambusnethan 67 11.93x
Lesmahagow 55 20.57x
Holy Trinity 53 2.84x
Aberdeen Old Machar 52 3.44x
Toxteth Park 52 1.66x
Audley 49 18.77x
Glasgow 49 1.09x
St Pancras London 49 0.78x
Wolstanton Chesterton 49 36.33x
Millom 47 22.79x
Forfar 43 10.96x
Portslade 43 53.37x
Shavington Cum Gresty 43 150.61x
Leeds 42 0.96x
Barnsley 41 5.13x
Egremont 41 25.55x
Liverpool 41 0.73x
Lambeth 39 0.57x
Manchester 38 0.91x
Everton 37 1.25x
Church Coppenhall 36 46.66x
Islington London 36 0.48x
Macclesfield 36 4.69x
Aston 35 0.64x
Muirkirk 35 25.47x
Barony 34 0.53x
Birmingham 33 0.50x
Gosforth 33 100.58x
Lanark 32 15.73x
Norton In Moors 32 22.91x
Duirinish 31 26.05x
East Greenock 31 5.42x
Boness 30 18.48x
Camberwell 30 0.60x
Pendleton In Salford 30 2.71x
Westgate 30 4.16x
Wolverhampton 30 1.48x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 29 2.14x
Dreghorn 28 26.44x
Monks Coppenhall 28 4.30x
Tranmere 28 4.41x
Trentham 28 12.48x
Wakefield 28 4.71x
Mile End Old Town 27 2.19x
Oldham 27 0.90x
Salford 27 0.99x
Aldershot 26 4.84x
Kensington London 26 0.60x
North Luffenham 25 216.26x
West Greenock 25 2.30x
Battersea 24 0.83x
Dewsbury 24 3.02x
Westoe 24 1.82x
Bishopstoke 23 55.92x
Chelsea London 23 0.98x
Kilbirnie 23 16.37x
Liff Benvie 23 2.09x
Lilliesleaf 23 119.73x
Abbey 22 2.38x
Arlecdon 22 12.29x
Madeley 22 33.44x
Roath 22 3.56x
Runcorn 22 5.53x
Shotts 22 7.27x
Whitehaven 22 6.13x
Auckinleck 21 11.60x
Brierley 21 161.79x
Clapham 21 2.15x
Hulme 21 1.08x
Stroud 21 7.04x
Auchterarder 20 20.42x
Birkenhead 20 1.45x
Dundee 20 0.74x
Stevenston 20 13.11x
Drigg Carleton 19 125.41x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Steele surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 439
Elizabeth 269
Sarah 260
Jane 125
Annie 112
Ann 108
Emma 98
Ellen 86
Hannah 78
Eliza 77
Margaret 74
Emily 70
Alice 64
Martha 56
Harriet 41
Charlotte 36
Florence 36
Fanny 35
Isabella 34
Agnes 33
Edith 33
Ada 30
Caroline 28
Maria 28
Catherine 26
Frances 26
Susan 25
Kate 24
Anne 23
Clara 22
Louisa 22
Matilda 19
Harriett 18
Eleanor 17
Lucy 17
Helen 15
Julia 15
Amy 14
Esther 12
Janet 12
Bessie 11
Ethel 11
Jessie 11
Minnie 11
Rachel 11
Rose 11
Beatrice 10
Dinah 10
Ruth 10
Susannah 10

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Steele surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 412
William 365
Thomas 226
George 205
James 195
Joseph 144
Henry 123
Charles 103
Robert 72
Edward 70
Samuel 67
Frederick 59
Richard 59
Arthur 57
Alfred 46
Albert 31
Walter 30
Ernest 28
Harry 28
Herbert 27
David 24
Francis 18
Frank 18
Wm. 18
Isaac 17
Alexander 16
Edwin 15
Daniel 14
Tom 14
Andrew 13
Ralph 12
Benjamin 10
Matthew 10
Abraham 8
Fredrick 8
Jonathan 8
Joshua 8
Peter 8
Stephen 8
Archibald 7
Edgar 7
Mathew 7
Edmund 6
Richd. 6
Sidney 6
Thos. 6
Christopher 5
Fredk. 5
Harold 5
Jacob 5

FAQ

Steele surname: questions and answers

How common was the Steele surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,027 people were recorded with the Steele surname. That placed it at #518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Steele surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,239 in 2016. That gives Steele a modern rank of #358.

What does the Steele surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked with steel or was hard and enduring like steel.

What does the Steele map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Steele bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.