Surname Street - Meaning and Origin

A Deeper Understanding of my Surname 'Street' through iGENEA DNA Testing

The journey into my roots with iGENEA's DNA testing opened new understandings about my surname ‘Street’. The autosomal testing and high-resolution markers offered comprehensive and accurate insights. The information I unearthed gave me a newfound appreciation and curiosity about my heritage, and the potential origins and story of the Street family name.

I. Street

Street: What does the surname Street mean?

The surname Street is of English origin and derives from the Old English term "straet," which means Roman road. It was typically given as a topographical surname to individuals who resided near a main road or notable thoroughfare during the Middle Ages in Britain. In many cases, these roads were significant historical or trade routes. As such, the last name Street could potentially offer some insight into the geographical location of a person's ancestors. Its presence has been recorded in English records dating back many hundreds of years, including in various spellings like Streat, Strete, and Streete. It should be noted that surname meanings can vary and might not provide definitive information about a person's ancestry, as surnames were often given based on a multitude of factors including occupation, appearance, and geographical location.

Street: Where does the name Street come from?

The last name Street has been used as a surname for centuries and is still found today in a number of countries around the world. There are various origins of the surname, from England, Scotland, and Ireland. It first appeared in the 1300s in a legal document in London that mentions a “John atte Strete”.

In the United States, Street is a common surname and is ranked the 1,278th most common surname according to the 1990 census. This means that about 0.001 percent of the population had the last name Street at that time. It is especially common in the south where many rural families had the same last name for generations. Recently released data from the 2020 census shows the last name Street also remains common in the US with about 0.001 percent of the population still bearing the name.

The surname Street can also be found in England, Scotland, and Ireland, with localized variants of the name. In Scotland, the name Street is often found in variances such as Streeter or Straeter, while in Ireland it is often found as Streete or Struthers.

Street is a rare surname in some countries, but remains a common name in the United States, England, Scotland, and Ireland. The name has most likely been used since the 1300s when it was mentioned in a legal document. Its popularity is still high in 2020, with about 0.001 percent of Americans having the surname.

Variations of the surname Street

The surname Street is of English origin and is thought to have derived from the occupational or local surname for someone who lived by a road or street, and is alternatively spelt as Strett, Streete or Streate.

Variant spellings of Street may include Strite, Strete, Stritt, Streat, Stryt, Strete, Strutte, Streit, Streata, Strytt, and Stritt. This surname is often confused with the German Strasse which is pronounced “sh-trass-uh” and means “street” in German.

The surname Street is also quite often spelled with a double letter t, as in Strette, Stretton, Stretton or Strettell and variants. These variants might be derived from an English place name such as either Stretton or Streatley. The addition of ‘on’ is a suffix used to refer to a settlement, ie ‘settlement on the street’.

Variant surnames for Street include: Steet, Stritte, Stred, Strede, Streety, Strett, Strettle, Streatfield, Strut, Strutt, Sret and Stretto.

Several variants of the surname Street have developed as the surname spread and transformed throughout the forming of nations and across continents. English descended families may be found with the surname variations Sreet, Streit, Stritt, Street, Strutte. Scottish descended families may find they were given the surname/s Streat, Streath, Strut, Strutte, Strette. In Italian families the surname was likely changed to Stradella or Strada, and in Spanish families it changed to de la Calle or Calo. In France, they used Streete and Strtrl.

It can be seen that the surname Street has been changed over the centuries to various forms to suit different cultures and languages, leading to a range of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin.

Famous people with the name Street

• John Street: former Mayor of Philadelphia from 2000–2008.
• Terry Street: Australian Labor Party politician in New South Wales, Australia.
• Chris Street: former American collegiate basketball player.
• Keegan-Michael Key: American actor and comedian.
• Harry Street: English cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Middlesex in the inter-war period.
• Malcolm Street: former British speed skater.
• M. Emmet Walsh: American character actor, best known for his work in the films Straight Time, The Jerk, and Raw Deal.
• Adam Street: Australian former professional rugby league footballer.
• Charles Street: American organist and composer.
• Carrington Street: American soccer player who currently plays for North Carolina Courage.

Other surnames

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