Contents [hide]

Yonge History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Yonge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Yonge is a name whose history is entwined with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who was very young, from the Old English word yong and yung and was first bestowed on the younger of two bearers of the same personal name, usually a son who was named for his father.

Early Origins of the Yonge family

The surname Yonge was first found in Essex, where the first record of the name appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Wilfer seo lunga in 744. Many years later Walter Yonge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 1

Another reference lists Hugh le Yunge in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as residing in Oxfordshire. The same rolls list Ralph le Younge in Staffordshire and later William le Yunge in Northumberland during the reign of Edward I. 2

Down in Devon, Honiton was "for a long period it was very much of a family borough. Members of the Yonge family sat almost continuously from 1640 to 1796." 3

Early History of the Yonge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yonge research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1400, 1405, 1407, 1411, 1413, 1414, 1423, 1425, 1426, 1437, 1455, 1463, 1466, 1467, 1476, 1500, 1516, 1526, 1579, 1603, 1642, 1646, 1649, 1660, 1663, 1721, 1860, 1868 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Yonge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yonge Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Yonge were recorded, including Young, Younge, Yonge, Youngson and others.

Early Notables of the Yonge family

Distinguished members of the family include

James Yonge (fl. 1423), English translator who belonged to an English family settled in the Irish pale. William Yonge, Archdeacon of Meath from 1407 to 1437, was possibly his brother. "James Yonge was...
Thomas Yonge (1405?-1476), was an English judge, born about 1405, the elder son of Thomas Yonge (d. 1426), who was Mayor of Bristol in 1411, and represented Bristol in parliament in 1413-1414. His you...
John Yonge (1467-1516), was Master of the Rolls and diplomatist, born in 1467 at Heyford in Oxfordshire. Another John Yonge (1463-1526), was Bishop of Callipoli, born at Newton Longville in Buckingham...
Walter Yonge of Colyton and Devon (1579-1649), was an English lawyer, merchant and diarist; Sir John Yonge, 1st Baronet (1603-1663), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1642...

Migration of the Yonge family to Ireland

Some of the Yonge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yonge migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Yonge family emigrate to North America:

Ena Yonge, aged 33, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Avon" 4

Yonge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Yonge, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1607 5
Richard Yonge, aged 31, who arrived in Virginia in 1616 aboard the ship "George" 5
Mrs. Joane Yonge, aged 26, who landed in Virginia in 1618 aboard the ship "Gift", wife of Richard. 5
John Yonge, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts with his wife and their six children in 1637

Yonge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Yonge, who arrived in Georgia in 1762 5

Yonge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Philip Yonge, aged 54, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Manchester" in 1830 4
Chas Yonge, aged 20, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Sovereign" in 1833 4
Joseph Yonge, aged 19, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Wales" in 1841 4
Mrs. Elizabeth Yonge, aged 51, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Victoria" in 1847 4
Miss Elizabeth Yonge, aged 14, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Victoria" in 1847 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Yonge (post 1700) +

Chandler C. Yonge, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Florida, 1845; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, 1853-63 6
Sir William Yonge (1693-1755), 4th Baronet, English politician
Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901), English novelist
The Rt. Hon. Sir George Yonge (1731-1812), 5th Baronet, British Secretary at War, eponym of Yonge Street, Toronto, Canada
Sir Charles Maurice Yonge (1899-1986), British zoologist, recipient of the Darwin Medal in 1968
Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), British historian
John Yonge Akerman (1806-1873), English antiquarian and numismatist, born in London on 12 June 1806 7
May Yonge McNeer Ward (1902-1994), American journalist and author from Cresskill, New Jersey who pens under the name May McNeer

The Yonge Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Toujours jeune
Motto Translation: Always young.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
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 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019