Badgers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Badgers is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a peddler who would travel buying and selling goods for profit. Another source claims the name was derived from the French word bagagier, or baggage-carrier. 1 A 'badger,' a hawker, was also a dealer in corn and other commodities, buying in one place to sell in another. 2

Early Origins of the Badgers family

The surname Badgers was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Richard le Bagger, who was listed on the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246 and later in Yorkshire in 1297. Later Yorkshire rolls included Adam Badger in 1324. 3

Badger was a Warwickshire name in the reign of Henry VIII.. There was a Thomas le Baggere in the adjoining county of Oxford in the 13th century. 4

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Thomas le Baggere, Oxfordshire and later the Lay Subsidy Rolls listed Robert le Bagger, Lancashire, 1333. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Bagger; and Ricardus Badger. 2

Interestingly, none of the dozen or so sources we consulted felt the name could have derived from badger, the animal.

Early History of the Badgers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Badgers research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1573, 1580, 1585, 1602, 1605, 1610, 1629, 1639, 1641, 1651, 1778 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Badgers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Badgers Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Badgers include Badger, Badge, Bagehot, Baghot, Badghot and others.

Early Notables of the Badgers family

Distinguished members of the family include George Badger, English bookseller in London who held a shop at St. Dunstan's Churchyard in 1641 and later at St. Dunstan's Churchyard, Fleet Street, 1641-1651. He is thought to have been a relation of Richard Badger [q. v.] and Thomas Badger [q. v.]. Richard Badger was the son of John Badger, of Stratford-upon-Avon. The parish registers of the town do not confirm this, the only entries of a Richard Badger being Richard, son to George Badger, born September 14th, 1580, and another son of the same name, born August 17th, 1585. There is no mention...
Another 142 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Badgers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Badgers family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Badgers were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Giles Badger who settled in New England in 1620; the same year as the "Mayflower"; Ann Badger settled in Virginia in 1639; William Badger settled in Nevis in 1670.

Citations +

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.