| ![Show Contents]() Edger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The generations and branches of the Edger family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Edger comes from the baptismal name for the son of Edgar. Baptismal names are a form of patronymic surnames, which come from the vernacular and religious naming traditions. In this case, the bearer of the surname Edger took his name from his father's given name, Edgar. Another source claims the name literally means "happy spear" or "blessed spear." "Eádgár was one of the commonest of Anglo-Saxon personal names." 1 Early Origins of the Edger familyThe surname Edger was first found in Berwickshire. "Eadgar, a well-known and royal personal name among the A-Saxons. There are probably several distinct families of this designation. The Scottish family deduce themselves from Gospatrick, earl of Northumberland, temp. William I., who was a kinsman of Eadgar Atheling, and a descendant of king Eadgar, great grandson of Alfred the Great. The Edgars of Suffolk claim from a John Edgar of Dunwich, living in 1237." 2 Edgar or Eadger (944-975), was the King of the English, the younger son of Eadmund the Magnificent and the sainted Ælfgifu. "He was twenty-nine at the time of his coronation in 973 (Anglo-Saxon Chron. sub ann. 972; Flor. Wig. sub ann. 973). He was probably brought up at the court of his uncle Eadred for his name, coupled with that of his brother Eadwig [see Edwy], is appended to a charter of Eadred dated 955." 3 Edgar (1072-1107), King of Scotland was the eldest surviving son of Malcolm Canmore and Margaret, sister of Edgar Atheling, named after his Saxon uncle, was the first king who united Scottish and Saxon blood. "Canmore was slain by an ambush near Alnwick on 13 Nov. 1093, when engaged in a raid on northern England; his eldest son, Edward, fell at the same time or a day or two after. Edgar brought the fatal news to his mother, then in the castle of Edinburgh. Already enfeebled with illness she saw it in his face before he spoke, and adjured him to tell the truth. When told that both her husband and first-born were slain, she prayed to Christ." 3 Scotland records for the family were extensive and quite old. "The Edgars of Nithsdale, notwithstanding their Old English name are of Gaelic origin. Other Edgars held lands in Berwickshire of the earls of Dunbar. Edgar, son of Duvenald, son of Dunegal of Stranid (Strath Nith), held extensive lands in Nithsdale during the reign of William the Lion, and his descendants assumed the surname of Edgar." 4 Early History of the Edger familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edger research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1860 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Edger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Edger Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Edger include Edgar, Edgair, Eger, Eager, Edzer and others. Early Notables of the Edger familyMore information is included under the topic Early Edger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Edger family to Ireland
Some of the Edger family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Edger migration to the United States | + |
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Edger or a variant listed above:
Edger Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- William Edger, who landed in Virginia in 1622 5
- Mary Edger, who landed in Virginia in 1652 5
- John Edger, who landed in Virginia in 1662 5
- John Edger, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 5
Edger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Jane Edger, aged 40, who landed in America from Ireland, in 1892
- Joseph Edger, aged 7, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland, in 1892
- WM. Edger, aged 8, who landed in America from Ireland, in 1892
- Thomas Edger, aged 10, who landed in America from Ireland, in 1892
Edger Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Mary Edger, aged 30, who settled in America from Temple Sowerby West, in 1905
- Alex Edger, aged 26, who landed in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
- Leavith Edger, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1908
- Wells Edger, aged 21, who immigrated to America, in 1920
- Stanley Edger, aged 43, who immigrated to the United States, in 1920
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Edger migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Edger Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Elisabeth Edger, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Edger Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century- Ethel B. Edger, aged 31, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
| Edger migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Edger Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- John Edger, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 6
| Contemporary Notables of the name Edger (post 1700) | + |
- Shields Edger, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1908 7
- Edward Edger (1804-1863), American politician, Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1843-44 7
- Kate Milligan Evans née Edger (1857-1935), the first woman in New Zealand to gain a university degree, first woman in the British Empire to earn a BA
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
- 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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BOLTON 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Bolton.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Edger migration to the United States 
Edger migration to Canada 
Edger migration to Australia 
England
Ireland
Scotland
