Derived from the Olde English 'stede' a pre 7th century word which has several meanings. Normally it was a job descriptive nickname for a person who looked after the 'steda' - war horses, or was a person of high spirits! The second possible meaning is locational and translates as one who lived at the 'stede' - meaning a farm or estate, and therefore probably meaning a farmer or estate worker. The patronymic, Stedson or Stidson is rare, and it may be that there has been a dialectual exchange with Stedman or Stedmond The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Vchtred Stede which was dated 1180, in the Pipe Rolls of Devon during the reign of King Henry 11, known as the Builder of churches, 1154-1189 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.