Bodger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the name Bodger dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as 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 Bodger family

The surname Bodger 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 Bodger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bodger 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 Bodger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodger Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Bodger has undergone many spelling variations, including Badger, Badge, Bagehot, Baghot, Badghot and others.

Early Notables of the Bodger 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 Bodger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodger migration to Australia +

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

Bodger Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Bodger, English convict who was convicted in Ely (Isle of Ely), Cambridgeshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
John Bodger, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Francis Bodger, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 7
Hagor Bodger, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 7

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.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ISABELLA WATSON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846IsabellaWatson.htm