Stuart is a Scottish surname that comes from the Old English stigweard and means "steward" or "guardian of the house"; the French spelling was adopted by Mary, Queen of Scots, and the royal House of Stuart ruled Scotland and later England. Stuart Little, E. B. White's gentle mouse, is its best-known American namesake. The name ranked number 669 in 2000, dropped out of the top 1000 soon afterward and stands at number 2534 in 2025.