A Scottish and English surname, the Steele family name comes from Middle English term of ‘stele’ which means a person working in a metal foundry or a person of strong and hard character.

Spelling forms for Steele are Steel, Steill and Steal.

All across the northern portions of England, the Steele surname is very common. The greater populations are in Cheshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumberland, Durham, Northumberland and Staffordshire counties. In Scotland, Steele families are primarily in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire counties.

Within the United States the Steele families are in California, Washington, Missouri, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan.


Famous: Charles Kenzie Steele Sr. (civil rights activist), Dave Steele (race car driver), Frederick Steele (Civil War Union general), Jevetta Steele (singer), Karen Steele (model and actress), Lee Steele (English footballer), Peter Steele (musician) and Ronald Steele (professional basketball player).