How common is the surname Steele?

88,230 people in the United States had the surname Steele in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,499 Americans. It ranked 355th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Steele?

Richard Steele, 17th/18th-century Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, followed by Peter Steele.

Where is the surname Steele most common?

Wikidata records people named Steele in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce Steele?

Steele is /stiːl/, one syllable.

Is the surname Steele getting more or less common?

More common. 84,353 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 88,230 in 2010, up 4.6%.

Is Steele also a first name?

Yes. Steele is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Steele

An English occupational surname, carried by 88,230 people in the United States.

Pronounced /stiːl/ 1 syllable Soundex S340

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Steele is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

English origin

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

Steele is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 88,230 people named Steele in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,499 Americans. That is up 4.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 84,353.

#355

rank among US surnames

88,230

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.6%

change since 2000 (was #331)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#346	Norris	89,796	3,438
#347	Jennings	89,700	3,442
#348	Watts	89,649	3,444
#349	Duran	89,401	3,453
#350	Walters	89,376	3,454
#351	Cohen	89,091	3,466
#352	McDaniel	88,728	3,480

Who is named Steele

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

78% of people named Steele identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Steeles

37 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Richard Steele
17th/18th-century Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, 1671–1729
Peter Steele
American musician (1962–2010)
Riley Steele
American pornographic actress, born 1987
Barbara Steele
British actress, born 1937
Michael Steele
American politician (born 1958)
Lexington Steele
American pornographic actor, born 1969
Bob Steele
American actor (1907–1988)
Willie Steele
American long jumper (1923–1989)
Sydnee Steele
American pornographic actress, born 1968
Karen Steele
American actress and model (1931-1988)
Michael Steele
American rock musician, born 1955
Allen Steele
American science fiction writer, born 1958

Notable Steeles come mostly from the United States (31), the United Kingdom (2) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Steele

Steele has the Soundex code S340, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S340.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Steele come from?: From Middle English stele (“steel”); either a metal worker or a person considered to be as hard as steel.
How common is the surname Steele?: 88,230 people in the United States had the surname Steele in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,499 Americans. It ranked 355th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Steele?: In the 2010 Census, 78% of people named Steele identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Steele?: Richard Steele, 17th/18th-century Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, followed by Peter Steele.
Where is the surname Steele most common?: Wikidata records people named Steele in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Steele?: Steele is /stiːl/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Steele?: Steele is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Steele getting more or less common?: More common. 84,353 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 88,230 in 2010, up 4.6%.
Is Steele also a first name?: Yes. Steele is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.