Street
A topographic surname for someone who lived by a road or in a place called Street.
The #1,805 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,541 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Street comes from Old English 'stræt', a word for a paved road or Roman road, ultimately borrowed from Latin 'strata' meaning 'paved way'. As a surname, it most often began as a topographic name for someone who lived by the street or came from a settlement called Street. Medieval records show forms such as 'de la Strete', 'atte Strete', and 'del Strete', which all point to that meaning.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in several counties and also as a place-name surname from villages and parishes called Street, especially in southern England. Because roads were major landmarks, the surname could arise independently in many places. It remains common in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root gave English the everyday word 'street', which originally referred to a Roman or paved road rather than any urban thoroughfare.
From the historical record
“Sussex called Stretfelde in the i6th cent. STREET 1 (A.-Lat.) Dweller at the (Roman) STREETE J Road [O.E.strdst (Lat.i^ratovia), (Roman) road, street] Our 13th and 14th cent, records contain such entries as ' [christian name] de la Strete', 'atte Strete', and 'del Strete.'”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)