Show ContentsDodge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Dodge is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that is derived from the baptismal name Dod, the short form of Roger. [1] Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Dodge family

The surname Dodge was first found in Yorkshire where Doge filius Arnaldi was listed in the Pipe Rolls in 1196. In nearby Lancashire, Wigot filius Doge was listed there in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1214 and later Dogge was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1246. In Gloucestershire, Robert and Nicholas Dogge were listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1206. [2]

To the south and west, in Stoke-Climsland, Cornwall "Climson belonged formerly to the family of Doidge, who had their seat there." [3]

Early History of the Dodge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dodge research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1196, 1214, 1515, 1546, 1559, 1583, 1595, 1610, 1620, 1629, 1639, 1650, 1651, 1655, 1656, 1674, 1697 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dodge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dodge Spelling Variations

Dodge has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Dodge have been found, including Dodge, Doidge, Doge, Doige, Doddge, Doges, Dodges, Doidges and many more.

Early Notables of the Dodge family

Notables of the family at this time include Leonard Digges (c.1515-c.1559), English mathematician and surveyor, credited with the invention of the theodolite; Sir Thomas Digges (1546-1595), an English mathematician and astronomer; Sir Dudley Digges (c.1583-1639), an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1629, known as a "Virginia adventurer," an investor who ventured...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dodge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dodge Ranking

In the United States, the name Dodge is the 1,524th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. [4] However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Dodge is ranked the 651st most popular surname with an estimated 68 people with that name. [5]

Ireland Migration of the Dodge family to Ireland

Some of the Dodge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dodge migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Dodges to arrive on North American shores:

  • Charles M. Dodge, aged 26, Mexican settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Ulula" [6]
Dodge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Dodge who arrived in 1623 on the sailing ship the "Lion's Whelp" and settled in Salem Massachusetts
  • Richard Dodge, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629 [7]
  • Richard Dodge, settled in Salem in 1636
  • Thomas Dodge, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 aboard the ship "Tristram and Jane" [7]
  • William Dodge, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dodge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Glowd Dodge, who arrived in Virginia in 1724 [7]
Dodge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Dodge, aged 20, British settler who arrived in New York in 1825 aboard the ship "Philadelphia" [6]
  • George Dodge, aged 22, British settler who arrived in New York in 1833 aboard the ship "S.S. Spain" [6]
  • J. Dodge, aged 48, British settler who arrived in New York in 1839 aboard the ship "British Queen" [6]
  • Samuel Dodge, aged 33, British settler who arrived in New York in 1846 aboard the ship "Victoria" [6]
  • Elizabeth Dodge, aged 7, British settler who arrived in New York in 1846 aboard the ship "Victoria" [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Dodge migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dodge Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Donald Doer U.E. who settled in Charlotee County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he is listed with the Loyalists and Disbanded Soldiers whose names appear as Passamaquoddy New Brunswick Loyalists [8]
  • Mr. John Dogget U.E., "Doggit" (b. 1760) born in Middleborough, Massachusetts, USA who settled in Grand Manan Island, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association died in 1830 [8]

Australia Dodge migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dodge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Dodge, (b. 1807), aged 25 who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [9]
  • James Dodge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Jenny Lind" in 1850 [10]
  • William Dodge, aged 27, a watchmaker, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Nile"
  • James Dodge, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Lord Hungerford"

New Zealand Dodge migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dodge Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Dodge, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • William Dodge, aged 31, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
  • Kerdiana Dodge, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
  • Elizabeth Dodge, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
  • William Dodge, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dodge (post 1700) +

  • John Francis Dodge (1864-1920), who with his brother Horace were American automobile manufacturing pioneers, known as the Dodge Brothers, eponym of Dodge trucks and automobiles
  • Adee Dodge (1912-1992), American Navajo artist, linguist, and Navajo code talker
  • Theodore Ayrault Dodge (1842-1909), American officer, military historian, and businessman who fought as a Union officer in the American Civil War
  • Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr. (1881-1963), American Chairman of the Board of Remington Arms Company
  • Joshua Eric Dodge (1854-1921), Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and legislator
  • David S Dodge (b. 1922), American academic administrator, long associated with the American University of Beirut
  • Mary Elizabeth Dodge (1838-1905), American writer
  • Grenville Mellen Dodge (1831-1916), Union army officer, eponym of Dodge City, Kansas
  • Augustus Caesar Dodge (1812-1883), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Senator from Iowa, 1848-55; U.S. Minister to Spain, 1855-59; Candidate for Governor of Iowa, 1859; Mayor of Burlington, Iowa, 1874 [11]
  • Anne A. Dodge, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut Republican State Central Committee, 1940 [11]
  • ... (Another 80 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Flight TWA 800
  • Mr. Warren Dodge (1946-1996), aged 50, from Ashland, Massachusetts, USA, American off-duty TWA employee flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash [12]
Grover Shoe factory
  • Mr. Elmer H. Dodge, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he survived was suspected to be lost due to injuries [13]
RMS Titanic
  • Mrs. Ruth Dodge, (née Vidaver), aged 34, American First Class passenger from San Francisco, California who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 [14]
  • Dr. Washington Dodge, aged 52, American First Class passenger from San Francisco, California who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 13 [14]
  • Master Washington Dodge, aged 4, American First Class passenger from San Francisco, California who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 [14]
Senghenydd colliery
  • Mr. William Dodge (b. 1892), Welsh coal miner from Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died


Suggested Readings for the name Dodge +

  • Ancestral Lines: 144 Families in England, Germany, New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania by Carl Boyer.
  • The Dozier (also Dodge) Family of Lower Norfolk County: A Reference by Anne Maling.

  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  6. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JENNY LIND 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JennyLind.gif
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
  13. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  14. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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