Show ContentsAngier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Angier is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Angier family lived in the area of Angers, Anjou France and is found there in charters in the Latinized form of Angevinus. [1]

Early Origins of the Angier family

The surname Angier was first found in Essex, where Osmond Angevines held estates in 1086. [2] He and Wido Angevines were ancestors of a family which continued through to at least 1202 in the area. By 1165, some of the family had spread to Oxford, Surrey, York, and Norfolk. [3]

In the Domesday "several of the name are found. The principal land-owner among them, who is supposed to have been of Breton origin, held considerable estates in Devonshire under Baldwin de Meules. A branch of Angers flourished at Carclew, from temp. Henry II. " [4]

"Anger's Leigh in Somersetshire was held by the family from 1360 to 1427. John de Aunger served as knight of the shire for Leicester in three of Edward I.'s parliaments, and in the first held by Edward II. Josceline D'Aunger in 1169 witnessed the foundation charter of Lanercost Abbey, and Ralph de Angers in the thirteenth century held lands in Wilts. Ralph de Aungers was Sheriff of Notts, 49 and 50 Henry III. " [5]

Lefuine Anger was listed in Suffolk in 1095 and Willelmus Angeri was recorded in Warwickshire in 1197. William filius Aunger was listed in Cambridgeshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. [6]

Early History of the Angier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Angier research. Another 247 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1280, 1300, 1500, 1558, 1605, 1632, 1639, 1640, 1655, 1660, 1669, 1677, 1700, 1702, 1706 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Angier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Angier Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Anger, Angier, Aunger, Angeri, Angear, Ainger and many more.

Early Notables of the Angier family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • John Angier (1605-1677), an English nonconformist minister

Ireland Migration of the Angier family to Ireland

Some of the Angier 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.


United States Angier migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Angier or a variant listed above:

Angier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edmund Angier, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636 [7]
  • John Angier, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1651 [7]
  • Samson Angier, who landed in New England in 1652 [7]
  • Sampson Angier, who landed in Maine in 1653 [7]
  • Samuel Angier, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1673 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Angier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Angier, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1838 [7]

New Zealand Angier 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:

Angier Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Angier, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Bruce" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th September 1860 [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Angier (post 1700) +

  • Bradford Angier (1910-1997), American author and survivalist
  • Nedom L. Angier (1814-1882), American politician
  • Natalie Angier (b. 1958), American writer and journalist for the New York Times
  • Robert E. Angier, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Claremont 2nd Ward, 1948 [9]
  • Nedom L. Angier, American politician, Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, 1877-79 [9]
  • John C. Angier (1857-1911), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1908 [9]
  • Joel N. Angier, American politician, Mayor of Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1866-67 [9]
  • Edgar A. Angier, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, 1897-1905 [9]
  • E. L. Angier, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1912 [9]
  • Angier March Perkins (1799-1881), American engineer and inventor from Newbury Port, Massachusetts who emigrated to England in 1827 where he introduced a patented method of warming buildings by means of hot water circulating through small closed pipes


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. 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)
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. 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)
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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