Derived from the Olde English 'staca' and middle English 'staith' - the name is Midlands locational from the village of Staithes in North Yorkshire or from residence by a landing stage. It is also possible although we have not been able to obtain conclusive proof that the name can be an anglicized variant of the French 'essart' - a topographical name for one who resided at a small farm or a metonymic for a farm worker, and recorded heraldically in Normandy as three red lions passant on a silver shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Le Stay which was dated 1255 The Hundred Rolls of Warwick during the reign of King Henry 111 The Frenchman 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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