Contents [hide]

Baggs History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Baggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Baggs. It was given to a person who was a peddler, or great traveler. It denotes one who on his travels carried a bag, a pack or a bundle.

Early Origins of the Baggs family

The surname Baggs was first found in Norfolk, at Gaywood, a parish, in the union and hundred of Freebridge-Lynn. "Gaywood Hall, the seat of Richard Bagge, Esq., occupies the site of a palace erected by John Grey, Bishop of Norwich; and part of the moat by which the old building was surrounded is still remaining." 1

Early History of the Baggs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baggs research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1600, 1625, 1800 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Baggs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baggs Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Baggs has appeared include Bagg, Bag, Bagge, Beag, Baigg, Baggey, Baggy and many more.

Early Notables of the Baggs family

More information is included under the topic Early Baggs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baggs Ranking

In the United States, the name Baggs is the 18,820^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Baggs is ranked the 354^th most popular surname with an estimated 131 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Baggs family to Ireland

Some of the Baggs family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baggs migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Baggs arrived in North America very early:

Baggs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Baggs, who arrived in South Carolina in 1832 4

Baggs migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Baggs Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Captain Baggs who sailed from Poole, Dorset and settled at Broad Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland. He was a descendant of the famous Lady Mary Banks of Corfe Castle in Dorset who defended her castle so valiantly against Cromwell in 1640. William's sons, William and Joseph, moved to Spaniard's Bay. There is a Bagg Cove, Bagg Head, Bagg Pond, Baggs Head, Baggs Hill and Baggs Island in Newfoundland

Baggs 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:

Baggs Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur H. Baggs, aged 14, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Baggs (post 1700) +

Arthur Eugene Baggs (1886-1947), American chemist and potter
Amanda Baggs (b. 1980), American autism rights activist
William Calhoun "Bill" Baggs, American editor of The Miami News from 1957 until his death in 1969
Stevie Baggs (b. 1981), American-born, Canadian football defensive end
William H. Baggs (1827-1908), American politician, Postmaster at Smyrna, Delaware, 1852-53, 1875-85
W. H. Baggs (1889-1955), American Republican politician, Farm implement dealer; Member of South Dakota State Senate 2nd District, 1947-52
Thomas Baggs, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Oregon 1st District, 1968
George T. Baggs, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Montana, 1912, 1928
Frederick Baggs, American politician, U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 6th Indiana District, 1879
Charles Michael Baggs (1806-1845), English Roman Catholic bishop, controversialist, scholar and antiquary 5
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Baggs 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: Spes est in Deo
Motto Translation: My hope is in God.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 6 June 2019