Mayoral History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Spain
Ireland

The name Mayoral was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman given name Mauger. The name indicates one who is the son of Maugier, an Old French personal name, which is derived from the Old Germanic name Malger, which means council spear. 1

Early Origins of the Mayoral family

The surname Mayoral was first found in Normandy where Mauguer was the third son of Richard I, Duke of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He ruled as Count of Corbeil through his wife Germaine de Corbeil.

Mauger (or Malger) was the youngest son of Richard II and his second wife, Papia of Envermeu. He rose to become Archbishop of Rouen in 1037. However, as he opposed the marriage of Duke William and Matilda of Flanders in 1049, he was banished from Rouen to the Isle of Guernsey. There he married Gisella or Guille "without sanction of the Church, he formed an intimacy that resulted in numerous progeny, some of whom took their father's, others their mother's name. 'Hence,' observes a correspondent 'Guilles and Maugers are as plentiful as blackberries on the Channel Islands'"2. The Norman poet Wace (c.1110-1174), related stories of his life on the Channel Islands some 100 years later.

Another Mauger was royal clerk and physician before he was elected to the see of Worcester in 1199, a position held until his death in 1212. Sir Mathias Mayer (Mayor), originally a Jerseyman was ancestor of the Majors of Hampshire.

In England, the Domesday Book of 1086 records the name as a surname in Latin form: Hugo filius Malgeri. 3 The same source also lists a variant, similarly in Latin: Drogo filius Matelgerii. 1 As a forename we find Malger filius Gilleberti in Nottinghamshire (1150-1160.) In Somerset, John Mauger or Malger was listed there in 1250 and later in the Assize Rolls on 1272. The place name "Tolleshunt Major (Essex) owes its attribute to the Domesday Book's Malger." 1

"The font-name was fairly popular in the 13th century. Mauger is found as a single personal name in the Hundredorum Rolls." 4 However, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had listings as a surname too: Thomas filius Mager in Lincolnshire; Walter Mauger in Cambridgeshire; and Richard Malgor in Buckinghamshire. 4

Early History of the Mayoral family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mayoral research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1469, 1550, 1615, 1655 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Mayoral History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mayoral Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Major, Mauger, Magor, Maior, Mayer, Mayor, Mager and others.

Early Notables of the Mayoral family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mayoral Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mayoral family to Ireland

Some of the Mayoral family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mayoral migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Mayoral or a variant listed above were:

Mayoral Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Diego Mayoral who settled in Mexico in 1527
Ana Mayoral who settled in New Spain in 1592

Mayoral Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Diego Mayoral, who landed in America in 1827 5
Santiago Mayoral, aged 35, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 5
Santiago Mayoral, a Spanish solider who immigrated to New Orleans in 1829
Juan Mayoral, aged 26, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1854 5
Jose Mayoral, aged 31, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1858 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mayoral (post 1700) +

Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral (b. 1969), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1996, 2004 6
José A. Hernández Mayoral, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 2004 6
Borja Mayoral Moya (b. 1997), Spanish footballer
César Fernando Mayoral (b. 1947), Argentine diplomat, Ambassador to Canada (2000-2003)
Demetrio Mayoral Pardo, Mexican surgeon and professor
Manuel Mayoral Montero, Spanish painter

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html