Contents [hide]

Sage History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Sage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The name Sage was brought to Britain by the early Norman settlers that followed the 1066 Conquest of the island. The name is derived from the Old French word "sage," meaning "wise;" thus it is supposed that it was originally a nickname for a wise or learned person.

One of the oldest records of the family in Normandy was "Richard Sapiens or le Sage" who was listed there in 1198. Another source notes that Joen le Sage was also there(1180-1195.) All were listed in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 1

Another source notes that the name "probably a translation of Le Sage, still a very common French surname. It has reference to the wisdom and prudence of the original bearer." 2 "This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the sage,' the wise, the sagacious." 3

Early Origins of the Sage family

The surname Sage was first found in various counties throughout ancient Britain. One of the first listings in England was Bernard le Sage in Norfolk, temp. Richard I (reign 1189-1199.) Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: Richard le Sage in Oxfordshire. 3 4 The Close Rolls listed William le Sage temp. 1 Edward I (during the first year's reign of Edward I.)

Much later, some of the family presumably migrated to Scotland where James Sage had precept of remission in 1536 and John Sage (1652-1711), was an Episcopal divine, born in Creich, Fife. 5

Early History of the Sage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sage research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1536, 1651, 1652 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Sage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sage Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Sage family name include Sage, Sayge and others.

Early Notables of the Sage family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Sage (1652-1711), a Scottish nonjuring bishop and controversialist in the Jacobite interest...

Sage Ranking

In the United States, the name Sage is the 3,241^st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Sage is ranked the 1,875^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,281 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Sage family to Ireland

Some of the Sage family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sage migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Sage family to immigrate North America:

Sage Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jan Sage who settled in Virginia in 1621 with his wife and six children
Gregory Sage, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 8
Gregory Sage, who settled in Virginia in 1643
David Sage, who arrived in Connecticut in 1650 8
David Sage who migrated from Wales and settled in Middletown Connecticut in 1652.
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sage Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Sage, who arrived in New England in 1716 8
Joh Wilhelm Sage, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1744 8

Sage Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Sage, aged 24, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 8
J Sage, who landed in Georgia in 1850 8
Francis Sage, who arrived in the 1850's in San Francisco

Sage migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sage Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Cumfort Sage, who landed in Canada in 1828
Charles Sage, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1830 9

Sage migration to Australia +

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

Sage Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Sage, English convict from Suffolk, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. John Sage who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. William Sage, (b. 1800), aged 42, English ploughman who was convicted in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 1st October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1863 12
Mr. Jonah Sage, (b. 1819), aged 27, English labourer who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "China" on 160th January 1846, arriving in Norfolk Island, Australia 13
Mary Sage, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Clara"

Sage 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:

Sage Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Sage, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1881
Agnes Sage, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1881
John Sage, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1881
Mary Sage, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1881
Ellen Sage, aged 24, a domestic servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ionic" in 1884

Sage migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Sage Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William and Hester Sage, who settled in Barbados in 1663
Richard Sage, who settled in Barbados with his servants in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Sage (post 1700) +

Robert Sage, American hotel executive, president of Sage Hotels & Lodges
Russell Sage (1815-1906), American financier
Michael Sage, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives 61st District, 2012 15
Henry Williams Sage (1814-1897), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Tompkins County, 1847 15
Henry M. Sage (1868-1933), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Albany County 4th District, 1899 15
Enoch Sage, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Chatham, 1820 15
Ebenezer Sage (1755-1834), American Democratic Party politician, Physician; U.S. Representative from New York 1st District, 1809-15, 1819-20; Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention, 1821 15
E. C. Sage, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 34th District, 1889-90 15
D. D. Sage, American politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate 20th District, 1897-98 15
Chauncey S. Sage, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oswego County 3rd District, 1858, 1871-72 15
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Sage family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. John George Sage (d. 1912), aged 44, English Third Class passenger from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16
Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Sage (d. 1912), (née Cazaly), aged 44, English Third Class passenger from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16
Miss Stella Anne Sage (d. 1912), aged 20, English Third Class passenger from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16
Mr. George John Sage (d. 1912), aged 19, English Third Class passenger from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16
Mr. Douglas Bullen Sage (d. 1912), aged 18, English Third Class passenger from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16
... (Another 6 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html