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Bridge History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Bridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Ireland
Scotland

The distinguished surname Bridge emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by de la or de le, which mean of the or from the. The Bridge family originally lived near a bridge. The surname is derived from the Old English word brycg, which means bridge, and was sometimes also applied as an occupational name to a bridge-keeper. 1 The name Bridge is occasionally derived from residence in Bruges, a town in Flanders.

Early Origins of the Bridge family

The surname Bridge was first found in Somerset where there is evidence of a family of this name from Bruges of Flemish origin. These Bruges, or Bridges settled mostly in the south west counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire and later Hereford. One of the first listings of the name was of Robert atte Brugge and William atte Brugge who resided in Gloucester during the reign of King Edward III (1327-until his death.)

Gilbert atte Brigge was listed in Surrey in 1272 and later the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire include and entry for Nicholas de la Brugge. William ater Bregg was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and in Suffolk, Roger del Brigge was listed there in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. The Curia Regis Rolls for Oxfordshire include an entry for William de Bruges, de Brieges in 1205. 2

Walter le Briggere was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327 and Walter Bregger was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. John Bruger was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Surrey in 1332. John le Bruggere, also called John de Ponte lived at Bridge End in Ockham Surrey in 1294. 2 Ponte is the French word meaning "bridge."

Years later, Giles Bruges (Brydges) had his manor of Archer-Stoke in Gloucestershire seized during the reign of King Edward IV (1461-1470.) 3

Another branch of the family was found at Horton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "At a short distance from the Hall, is the seat of Francis Sharp Bridges, Esq., a descendant from a younger branch of the same family, who were zealous adherents of the royal cause in the civil war, and of whom John Sharp was severely wounded in an engagement with the parliamentarian forces." 4

In Scotland, the family's arrival there was much later as John Bridge was listed in Drum, 1658, and John Brig in Drum, 1691. "Throughout the country Brigg is in common speech the pronunciation of Bridge. Duncanus Brigis appears in Murthlac, Banffshire, 1550." 5

Early History of the Bridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bridge research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1378, 1427, 1462, 1491, 1493, 1497, 1511, 1548, 1552, 1557, 1564, 1578, 1594, 1595, 1602, 1614, 1617, 1620, 1621, 1624, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1639, 1642, 1646, 1655, 1682, 1683, 1685, 1702 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Bridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bridge Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Bridge, Bridges, Briddge and others.

Early Notables of the Bridge family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Delbridge (1564-1639), an English merchant from Devon who was elected six times as Member of Parliament

Bridge Ranking

In the United States, the name Bridge is the 5,285^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Bridge is ranked the 982^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,111 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Bridge family to Ireland

Some of the Bridge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bridge migration to the United States +

Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Bridge or a variant listed above:

Bridge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Bridge, who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1632 8
Jon Bridge, who landed in Virginia in 1637 8
Matthew Bridge, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1643 8
William Bridge, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1647 8
Richard Bridge, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bridge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Bridge, who landed in Virginia in 1717 8
Ellery Bridge, who settled in Boston in 1763
Ellery Bridge, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1763
Elizabeth Bridge with a child, in Boston in 1766

Bridge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Bridge, who arrived in America in 1809 8
Anthony Bridge, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 8
James Bridge, who landed in America in 1811 8
Christopher Bridge, who settled in Philadelphia in 1840
Mr. Bridge, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bridge Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gilbert Ridings Bridge, who landed in Alabama in 1920 8

Bridge migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bridge Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Bridge U.E. who settled in Prince Edward County, Ontario c. 1783 9

Bridge migration to Australia +

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

Bridge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Bridge, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
James Bridge, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Eliza Bridge, aged 29, a cook, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Royal Charlie" 12
John Bridge, aged 36, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Telegraph"

Bridge 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:

Bridge Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. C. J. Bridge, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 13
C. Bridge, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1854
James Bridge, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cresswell" in 1856
B. Bridge, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" in 1870
Mr. Bridge, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Dakota" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 10th March 1873 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bridge (post 1700) +

Richard Bridge (b. 1750), one of the best English organ-builders of the eighteenth century 15
Bewick Bridge (1767-1833), English mathematician, a native of Linton in Cambridgeshire, and received his education at St. Peter's College, Cambridge
Lieutenant Commander John Bridge GC, GM & Bar (1915-2006), British bomb disposal expert of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War, and recipient of the George Cross
Wayne Bridge (b. 1980), English footballer
Frank Bridge (1879-1941), English composer and conductor
Mr. Christopher Bridge M.B.E., British former Chairman for Corporation Board at Colchester Institute, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Further Education and Skills 16
Bridge Frodsham (1734-1768), English actor, a native of Frodsham, Cheshire who was admitted on the foundation of Westminster School in 1746, but forfeited his position by running away 17

Historic Events for the Bridge family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Arthur T Bridge (b. 1916), English Telegraphist serving for the Royal Navy from Kingham, Oxfordshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

North Sea Flood

Lucy Bridge, British citizen, living in Fellixstowe, England,killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Lusitania

Mr. William Bridge, English Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 19

The Bridge 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: Je garderay
Motto Translation: I watch over.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
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
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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
South Australian Register Thursday 25th May 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Royal Charlie 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/royalcharlie1854.shtml
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
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/