Contents [hide]

Hedges History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Hedges History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hedges is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived near a hedge or enclosure. This name belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The surname Hedges was originally derived from the Old English hecg, which meant hedge. 1 2

Early Origins of the Hedges family

The surname Hedges was first found in Kent where John de la Hegge was first listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls lists Walter de la Hegge in London. 3

Edith atte Hegge was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 4

The Assize Rolls of Bedfordshire included Ailmar Hegge in 1227 and a few years later, Robert atte Hegge was listed in the Somerset in the Assize Rolls of 1256. During the reign of King Edward I, Richard de Hegges was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and later, Robert del Hegges was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301. 5

"Hedges is a name that has at present its principal home in Buckinghamshire, though it also occurs in the surrounding counties of Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and Oxfordshire. Last century a family of gentry bearing this name resided at Cublington, in Buckinghamshire, and there were then others of the name in Stewkley and Whitchurch (Lips.). The name still occurs in Stewkley." 6

Early History of the Hedges family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hedges research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1296, 1599, 1629, 1632, 1649, 1701 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Hedges History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hedges Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Hedges has been spelled many different ways, including Hedge, Hedges, Hegges, Hegge and others.

Early Notables of the Hedges family

Notables of the family at this time include

Robert Hegge (1599-1629) was an English academic and antiquary from Durham; and Sir Charles Hedges (1649-1714), of Compton Bassett, Wiltshire, an English lawyer and politician, judge in Admiralty Cour...
Sir William Hedges (1632-1701), was the Irish-born, Governor of Bengal, born on 21 Oct. 1632 at Coole, co. Cork, and was the eldest son of Robert Hedges of Youghal in the same county, and Kingsdown, i...

Hedges Ranking

In the United States, the name Hedges is the 3,542^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Hedges family to Ireland

Some of the Hedges family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hedges migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Hedgess to arrive in North America:

Hedges Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Hedges, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 8
Francis Hedges, aged 13, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 8
Grace, Joseph, Robert, and Sarah Hedges, who settled in Virginia between 1623 and 1654
Walter Hedges, who landed in Virginia in 1664 8
Thomas Hedges, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hedges Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Hedges, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 8

Hedges Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hedges, who arrived in New York, NY in 1836 8

Hedges migration to Australia +

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

Hedges Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Hedges, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Henry Hedges, Welsh convict who was convicted in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales for 15 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Alfred Hedges, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 11
Jeremiah Hedges, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 11

Hedges 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:

Hedges Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Hedges, (b. 1839), aged 23, English domestic servant, from Middlesex travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 12
Miss Louisa M. Hedges, (b. 1847), aged 20, British waitress travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1867 13
William Hedges, aged 33, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Eliza Hedges, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Alice M. Hedges, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hedges (post 1700) +

Junior Lee Hedges (1929-2023), American high school football coach, his 217 victories are the most wins in the history of Shreveport–Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana
Robert Hedges (1869-1932), American baseball executive, owner of the St. Louis Browns (1902 to 1915)
Peter Hedges (b. 1962), American novelist, screenwriter, and film director
Michael Hedges (1953-1997), American guitarist
Jared Hedges (b. 1980), American screenwriter
James Hedges (b. 1939), American prohibitionist
Fred Paul Hedges (1921-1999), American guitar maker
Benjamin Hedges (1907-1969), American Olympic silver medalist who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Chuck Hedges, American Jazz Clarinetist who performs in jazz clubs and festivals world wide
Chris Hedges (b. 1956), American journalist and author, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics and society and part of The New York Times team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for the paper's coverage of global terrorism
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHEOBE/PHOEBE 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Phoebe.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html