# Steele (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/steele/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 88,230 |
| US rank (2010) | 355 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,499 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.6% (84,353 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /stiːl/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English stele (“steel”); either a metal worker or a person considered to be as hard as steel.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Steele in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Steele in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Steele

- Richard Steele, 17th/18th-century Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician
- Peter Steele, American musician (1962–2010)
- Riley Steele, American pornographic actress
- Barbara Steele, British actress
- Michael Steele, American politician (born 1958)
- Lexington Steele, American pornographic actor
- Bob Steele, American actor (1907–1988)
- Willie Steele, American long jumper (1923–1989)
- Sydnee Steele, American pornographic actress
- Karen Steele, American actress and model (1931-1988)
- Michael Steele, American rock musician
- Allen Steele, American science fiction writer

and 25 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Steel, Stella, Stelly, Stell, Steil, Steely, Stehle, Sawtelle, Stahl, Sotelo, Staley, Still.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.