Stewart is a Scottish surname (also used as a masculine given name) possibly of pre-7th century Old English origin, derived from stigeweard, the genitive prefix stige meaning "hall", and the suffix weard meaning "guardian" or "warden". Alternative spellings are Stuart and Steward. The progenitor of the Stewart family was Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton knight who settled in England after the Norman Conquest. His son, Walter fitz Alan, relocated to Scotland during the Anarchy, became the High Steward of Scotland, hence the origin of the surname. Stewart is the 66th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.
One of the hereditary Stewart stewards, Walter Stewart, married Marjorie Bruce, daughter of King Robert I, and founded the royal House of Stuart (a French spelling), beginning with their son King Robert II. The House of Stewart was the longest serving royal dynasty of Scotland. In 1603, the Stewart King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England and Wales by his succession to Queen Elizabeth I. The Stewart dynasty ruled Scotland, England and Wales (with an interruption during Cromwell's Commonwealth after the English Civil War) until 1714, when Queen Anne died and the British Crown passed to the German Electors of Hanover.
The grandson of James II, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, led the last attempt to restore the Stewart dynasty to the British Crown in 1745-6 and became known to history as "Bonnie Prince Charlie". This attempted coup d'état ended in the slaughter of Charles' army at the Battle of Culloden in April, 1746.
In addition to the Royal House of Stuart, various branches of the Stewart family became Scottish peers, at various times holding the Marquisate of Bute, the earldoms of Atholl, Mar, Moray, Angus, Galloway, as well as several Lordships of Parliament. Several families of Stewarts became Highland clans in their own right, including the Stewarts of Appin, the Stewarts of Ardvorlich the Stewarts of Atholl, the Stewarts of Garth.
Many Stewart emigrants from the lowlands of Scotland settled in the Irish Province of Ulster in the seventeenth century. Stewarts also emigrated from other parts of Scotland and settled throughout the rest of Ireland, all the way over to the west coast of Ireland in cities as far-west as Galway. The Stewarts left lasting families in Ireland, some modern-day Irish still claiming Stewart lineage.
Al Stewart (born 1945), singer-songwriter
Alana Stewart (born 1945), former model, now an actress, former wife of Rod Stewart
Alastair Stewart (born 1952), broadcaster
Alec Stewart (born 1963), former England wicket-keeper
Alexander P. Stewart (1821 – 1908), American general and professor
Alexis Stewart (born 1965), daughter of Martha Stewart
Alice Stewart (1906-2002), physician and epidemiologist
Alison Stewart (born 1966), reporter
Several people named Andy Stewart
Belle Stewart (1906–1997), singer
Several people named Bill Stewart
Several people named Bob Stewart
Booboo Stewart (born 1994), singer of T-Squad and actor
Breanna Stewart (born 1994), American basketball player
Brent Stewart, Manitoba judge
Several people named Brett Stewart
Bryanne Stewart (born 1979), Australian tennis player
Several people named Charles Stewart
Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008
Several people named Daniel Stewart
Several people named David Stewart
Several people named Dennis Stewart
Several people named Donald Stewart
Dugald Stewart (1753–1828), philosopher
Several people named Duncan Stewart
Earnie Stewart (born 1969), Dutch-born American soccer player
Ed Stewart (1941–2016), British broadcaster
Ed Stewart (American football) (born 1972), American football player
Edwin C. Stewart (1864–1921), New York politician
E. J. Stewart (1877–1929), American college sports coach
E. L. Stewart (1872-1956), American lawyer and state legislator
Elinore Pruitt Stewart (1876–1933), American homesteader in Wyoming and memoirist
Evan Stewart (born 1975), Zimbabwean diver
Several people named Frederick Stewart
Several people named George Stewart
Gershom Stewart (1857–1929), British businessman in China, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) 1910–1923
Glenn Stewart (born 1984), Australian Rugby League player
Harry Stewart (1908–1956), American comedian
Several people named Henry Stewart
Several people named Iain Stewart
Several people named Ian Stewart
Ivan Stewart, US offroad racing legend
Jackie Stewart (born 1939), former Scottish Formula One driver and triple World Champion
Several people named James Stewart
Jean Stewart (born 1930), New Zealand swimmer
J. I. M. Stewart, (1906–1994)
Joffre Stewart (born 1925), American poet, anarchist and pacifist
Several people named John Stewart
Jon Stewart (born 1962), American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian
Several people named Josh Stewart
Julius LeBlanc Stewart, (1855-1919), American artist
Karen Weldin Stewart, Insurance Commissioner of Delaware as of 2009
Kevin Stewart (born 1993), English football player
Kordell Stewart (born 1972), American football player
Kristen Stewart (born 1990), American actress
Lizbeth Stewart (1948-2013), American ceramist
Lynne Stewart (1939-2017), American lawyer
Several people named Malcolm Stewart
Martha Stewart (born 1941), home economist
Several people named Mary Stewart
Several people named Matthew Stewart
Several people named Michael Stewart
Several people named Patrick Stewart
Several people named Paul Stewart
Payne Stewart (1957–1999), golfer
Perez M. Stewart (1858–1924), New York politician
Potter Stewart (1915–1985), US Supreme Court justice
Several people named Robert Stewart
Rod Stewart (born 1945), British singer
Rosemary Stewart (business theorist)
Several people named Scott Stewart
Several people named Thomas Stewart
Several people named Tony Stewart
Trenton Lee Stewart, American writer
Several people named Walter Stewart
Several people named William Stewart
Wyatt A. Stewart, career political fundraiser and American businessman
Wynn Stewart, singer-songwriter, musician
The members of the Stewart family who performed as part of Sly and the Family Stone:
Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone) (born 1944), singer-songwriter, frontman
Rose Stewart (Rose Stone) (born 1945), singer/keyboardist
Fred Stewart (Freddie Stone) (born 1946), singer/guitarist
Vaetta Stewart (Vet Stone) (born 1949), singer
Stewart Copeland, American drummer, best known as the drummer in The Police
Stewart Granger, English-American actor, born James Stewart
Stewart Lee, English stand-up comedian, writer, director and musician
Stewart Mills, Australian Rugby League player
Stewart Stevenson, SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, and Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
