STOREY
Storey is an English surname that finds its roots in both topographical and occupational associations with domestic architecture. Its earliest recorded form derives from the Middle English word stori or storey, meaning a floor or level in a building. The name was thus given to a person who lived on a particular tier of a house or who worked upon a specific level, and it may also have been applied to someone residing near a prominent multi-storey structure. This link to the architectural feature of a floor preserves in the surname the everyday reality of medieval English households.
Further evidence shows that the surname Storey has roots that predate the Norman Conquest, tracing back to pre-7th century Danish-Viking settlers in the British Isles. In this original context the name stems from the Old Norse word storr, translated as “large” or “great”. It was employed both as a byname for a person of imposing stature and for an ox‑keeper or cattle manager. Historical documents corroborate this early usage: the Domesday Book of 1086 records the personal bynames Stori and Estori; later, in the Calendar of Letter Books for London (1290), a John Stor is noted, and a Thomas Storre appears in the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire (1379). The surname entered a variety of forms – Stor, Storr, Store, Storey, Storry, Storie and Storrie – reflecting the phonetic fluidity of Middle English spelling. Church registers of Yorkshire record early instances such as Arthurus, son of Georgi Storr (Christening, Swillington, 22 February 1551) and Henricus Storrie (Christening, Whitgift, 24 August 1564).
The surname’s longevity is further illustrated by early migration across the Atlantic. In 1635, a 17‑year‑old Samuel Stor left London aboard the ship “Faulcon” bound for Barbados, becoming one of the first settlers in the New World. Slightly earlier, the first clearly documented spelling of the family name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk (1200) during the reign of King John, where Geoffrey Stor is recorded. Together, these references demonstrate that Storey was firmly established within English society from the early medieval period through to the early modern era and continues to carry its historical associations today.
Typical given names associated with the Storey surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Janet
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Story
- Storie
- Storrie
- Starry
- Stary
- Stare
- Steer
- Stear
- Storrey
- Storry
- Starey
- Steary
- Starie
- Starrie
- Store
- Sadry
- Sattary
- Seatory
- Seatry
- Seattrey
- Settery
- Settrey
- Sidery
- Soudry
- Stahre
- Star
- Stares
- Stari
- Staries
- Starre
- Stauri
- Steare
- Steere
- Stehr
- Steir
- Ster
- Stere
- Steri
- Sterie
- Sterio
- Sterr
- Sterrey
- Sterrie
- Sterry
- Stery
- Steuri
- Stier
- Stir
- Stiry
- Stoar
- Stoor
- Stor
- Stora
- Storay
- Storce
- Stored
- Storek
- Stores
- Storet
- Storeys
- Stories
- Storke
- Storkey
- Storley
- Storme
- Stormey
- Storne
- Storney
- Storo
- Storr
- Storre
- Stors
- Storye
- Storz
- Stour
- Stours
- Stower
- Stowers
- Stray
- Strey
- Stroy
- Stur
- Sture
- Sturey
- Sturry
- Stury
- Styer
- Suddery
- Suddrey
- Sutariya
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Storey in...
Braille
⠎⠞⠕⠗⠑⠽
Morse
...----.-..-.--
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Storey are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Custard Cream.
There are approximately 16,733 people named Storey in the UK. That makes it the 534th most common surname in Britain. Around 257 in a million people in Britain are named Storey.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Storey
- Sarah Storey - Swimmer, track and road cyclist
- David Storey - Writer (1933 to 2017)
- Peter Storey - Football player
- Miles Storey - Football player
- Ian Storey-Moore - Football player and manager
- Mervyn Storey - Politician
- Mike Storey - Politician
- Samuel Storey, Baron Buckton - Politician (1896 to 1978)
- Jordan Storey - Football player
- Barney Storey - Racing cyclist
- Charles Ambrose Storey - Academician (1888 to 1968)
- Brett Storey - Football player
- Sid Storey - Football player (1919 to 2010)
- Doris Storey - Swimmer, Olympic athlete, British Empire Games gold medallist (1919 to 2005)
- Tom Storey - Football player
- Jim Storey - Football player
- Maude Storey - Midwife, nurse and nursing administrator (1930 to 2003)
- Stewart Storey - Cricketer
- Samuel Storey - Politician (1841 to 1925)
- Edward Storey - Writer (1930 to 2018)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.