My great granduncle Thomas John Edmund Anstey (known as Tom and a member of the Stoke Gifford Ansteys, whose picture sits atop this page) produced copious quantities of high quality 'Anstey' surname research in the period between 1905 and 1914. That research found its way down to me (Gary - also a Stoke Gifford Anstey) and in 2014, I took up the challenge of continuing and expanding Tom Anstey's work in the internet age, which had already been advanced by other researchers interested in the Anstey surname in the interim. The surname 'Anstey' was registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies in 2015 and Tom has been posthumously awarded the title of Honorary President of this particular study in recognition of his work.

We have commenced a Facebook Group entitled 'Anstey Surname History and Genealogy Research Group' (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ansteysurname), described as "dedicated to researching the Anstey (and variant spellings Ansty, Anstee, Anstie and Annesty) surname and its historical origins, which date back to the 12th century. Members share genealogy research, family history, historical documents, anecdotes and stories, letters and photographs relating to deceased Anstey individuals and their family, as well as researching and discussing how the various Anstey, Ansty, Anstee, Anstie and Annesty sub-branches around the world fit together".

If you have research you would like to share, feel free to contact us.

The registered variants of the name Anstey are Ansty, Anstee, Anstie and Annesty. However early spellings of the name combined with mistranscriptions of original documents mean Anestie, Anesty, Anstye, Ansti, Austy, Austey and Anestia (not an exhaustive list) are all worthy of further investigation. Those researching medieval Ansteys should add 'de Anesty', 'de Anestie', 'de Ansty', 'de Anestia', 'd'Anstey', 'de Anstye', as well as a multitude of other spelling variants!

Anstey is by far the most common spelling today (about 70%), followed by Anstee (about 25%), with Anstie, Ansty and Annesty making up the balance.

The surnames 'Annesley', 'Ansley', 'Asty', 'Astry', 'Anesye', 'Anestan', 'Auste' and 'Aust' are not related to 'Anstey', neither is 'Anstice' (or 'Anstiss'/'Anstis') which has a completely separate and unconnected derivation.

The surname Anstey (and variants Ansty, Anstee, Anstie and Annesty) only came into being on one occasion, that being in the mid-12th century when a gentleman named Hubert became Lord of the Manor of Anstey in Hertfordshire and took the village name as his family title. All Ansteys pre-1770 and the overwhelming majority of Ansteys living today are descendent from this one family, which means therefore that almost all Ansteys worldwide are related and can trace their surname origin to Anstey, Hertfordshire in England (see Anstey: Our True Surname Origin', chapter one.

Richard de Anstey (c1127 - 1194/95) son of Hubert the Chamberlain and Agnes de Sackville, best known as the claimant in the famous Anstey Case of the mid-1100s about which Richard wrote a detailed account much treasured by historians (see Anstey: Our True Surname Origin and Shared Medieval Ancestry, chapters one and two).

John Ansty esquire (1378 - 1455) Lord of the Manor of Stow-cum-Quy in Cambridgeshire in 1428, was High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1430/1; he also founded Ansty's Chantry in 1450. His son, also John Ansty esquire (c1402-1460), was Knight of the Shire for Cambridgeshire in 1445/6, 1450/1 and 1455/6 and his grandson, also John Ansty esquire (1428-1477), was Knight of the Shire for Cambridgeshire in 1461/2 and 1467/8.

Christopher Anstey (1724 - 1805) Poet and author of the 'New Bath Guide' which took the literary world by storm in 1766. Has a memorial tablet in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey.

Thomas Chisholm Anstey (1816 - 1873) English lawyer and Parliamentarian in the 19th Century. He penned numerous works including a 'Guide to the Laws of England affecting Roman Catholics'.

Francis Edmund Anstie (1833 - 1874) English doctor and medical author. He was the first editor of the medical journal 'The Practitioner' and was notable for proposing 'Anstie's Limit', an amount of alcohol that could be consumed daily without ill effects.

Rev Martin Anstey M.A B.D (1860-1921) Author of ‘The Romance of Bible Chronology. An Exposition of the meaning and a Demonstration of the Truth of every Chronological statement contained in the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament’ and Anstey genealogist.

Ann Jane Anstey (nee Williams 1876 - 1949) Labour Candidate in the 1931 UK General Election for the seat of Lambeth, Norwood, Justice of the Peace and a long serving Labour Councillor for the Borough of Lambeth.

George James Anstey (1882 - 1958) Labour Candidate in the 1924 UK General Election for the seat of Lambeth, Norwood and a long serving Labour Councillor for the Borough of Lambeth.

John Charles Knight Anstey (d.1947), Methodist missionary and founder member of the ecumenical Church of South India.

Bryan Anstey, son of J.C.K. Anstey (1905-1974), author of many poems and verse plays; collections include True Mirror and The Poetry of Bryan Anstey (forthcoming).

By 1600, according to both computer models and a detailed analysis of early parish registers, the population of Ansteys worldwide was about 600 (practically speaking all of them located in England).

By the time of the 1881 UK Census there were just over 1,000 Ansteys (and variant spellings) in the UK, making it approximately the 4,000th most common surname. Currently there are just over 2,000 people in the UK with the surname Anstey (and variant spellings) which is still about the 4,000th most common surname, so the recent growth of the surname Anstey has been in line with the growth in the general population in the UK.

Worldwide growth has been more spectacular, with around 8,000 Ansteys (and variant spellings) worldwide today, predominantly in Commonwealth countries. However, Anstey is still only approximately the 78,000th most common surname in the world!

In medieval times, the Ansteys were concentrated in the south of England, particularly Hertfordshire, Essex, the City of London and Middlesex (see Anstey: Our True Surname Origin and Shared Medieval Ancestry).

By 1600, nearly half of the worldwide population of Ansteys lived in Sussex, with much smaller sub-branches dispersed throughout many southern counties of England.

By the time of the 1881 UK Census the distribution of Ansteys was heavily concentrated in the South West of England, particularly Devon and South Gloucestershire; there was also a heavy presence in London and its surrounding counties. 

By 2015 there has been evident dispersion around the UK though the basic pattern of 1881 remains. Worldwide in 2015, England still contains the largest concentration of Ansteys (but only just), closely followed by Canada, with the USA, Australia and South Africa all containing solidly growing Anstey populations.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ansteysurname