The Sturgeon surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,007 people carried this name — #3,950 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 32,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 8,710 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Sturgeon surname

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Willelmus Sturgeon, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 725 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Sturgeon name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 8

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 36 people named Sturgeon live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 15
City of Buenos Aires 11
Tucumán 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Sturgeon was found among the farmers of Suffolk: 20 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Suffolk 20

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Sturgeon was recorded 13 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1564th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 22. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Sturgeon in American newspapers,
1892–1897.

Newspaper page from The Times carrying the name Sturgeon
The Times 1897-07-13
Newspaper page from Wheeling Register carrying the name Sturgeon
Wheeling Register 1892-01-29
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Sturgeon
The Portland Daily Press 1897-08-20

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,544 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sturgeon in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1980s.

4,965 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sturgeon. The most, 777, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,069
Queensland 948
Tasmania 675
Victoria 513
Western Australia 373
South Australia 342
ACT (Canberra) 38
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sturgeon.

Who carried it

People named Sturgeon,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Sturgeon
    William Sturgeon 1783–1850 · physicist
  • Daniel Sturgeon
    Daniel Sturgeon 1789–1878 · politician
  • Sheldon Sturgeon
    Sheldon Sturgeon 1838–1892 · military officer
  • Ann Celeste Allen Sturgeon
    Ann Celeste Allen Sturgeon 1838–1904 · suffragist
  • Nicholas Sturgeon 1380–1454 · composer
  • John Sturgeon 1401–1571 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sturgeon,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States597 records

597 records of the Sturgeon name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 308
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 119
  • Other U.S. records 170
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Richard L. Sturgeon

    Born 1915 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; cotton farmer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1953, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Walter Sturgeon

    Born 1948; from Enola, Arkansas. U.S. Army, general vehicle repairman; killed in action 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Martha Sturgeon

    Arrived at New York in 1848 aboard the Arethusa from Belfast, aged 21; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 597 records for Sturgeon in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia240 records

240 records of the Sturgeon name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 108
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 56
  • Other Australian records 76
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Sturgeon

    Died 1900 in Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1900.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Ann Sturgeon

    Born 1849 in Oatlands, Tasmania. Married 1869 in Oatlands, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Sturgeon

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Guildford, arriving 1822; certificate of freedom 1828.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 240 records for Sturgeon in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada36 records

36 records of the Sturgeon name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • Other Canadian records 16
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ernest Sturgeon

    Died 1968, aged 58; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Cecilia Elizabeth Sturgeon

    Died 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James H. Sturgeon

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 36 records for Sturgeon in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom9 records

9 records of the Sturgeon name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 8
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Elizabeth Jane Sturgeon

    Will proved in 1933; of Colwyn Bay, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. H. Sturgeon

    Norfolk Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. A. Sturgeon

    Army Service Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Sturgeon in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand4 records

4 records of the Sturgeon name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 3
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Andrew Sturgeon

    Buried in 1958 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 44.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Andrew Sturgeon

    Died 1981, aged 86; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Helen Margaret Sturgeon

    Died 1920, aged 28; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Sturgeon in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Sturgeon name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Joseph Marie Sturgeon

    Born 1893 in Lorient; died 1974 in Lorient (Morbihan).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sturgeon.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sturgeon is.
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