Digg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Digg comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a person who had a duck-like gait or bore some other resemblance to a duck. The surname Digg is derived from Old English words duk, dukke, duck, doke, and dook, which all mean duck. However, these words are often indistinguishable from the various Old English words duc, duk, duke, douc, and doke, which all came from the Old French word duc. This ultimately came from the Latin word dux, which means leader, and is a derivative of the verb ducere, which means to lead.

Early Origins of the Digg family

The surname Digg was first found in Somerset where the first record of the family was John le Duk, who was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 1

The Rotuli Curiae Regis listed Ralph Dux of Buckinghamshire, 1198. 2

In Cheshire, two early listing were found: Robert Ducke was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1260 and later; Hugo Doke was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. 3 In the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, we found Adam Doke listed as holding lands there at that time. 4

In Devon, we found the variant Duckham. 5 "Amongst old Tiverton [,Devon] names, now scantily to be found in the county, but still surviving in this town, are Duckham This name is now established in Monmouthshire. The Duckhams were Tiverton churchwardens in 1691, 1703, and 1743." 6

Early History of the Digg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Digg research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1515, 1546, 1559, 1570, 1580, 1595, 1628, 1632, 1636, 1638, 1639, 1648, 1657, 1672, 1691, 1705 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Digg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Digg Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Duck, Duche, Ducke and others.

Early Notables of the Digg family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Leonard Digges (c.1515-c.1559), was an English mathematician and surveyor, credited with the invention of the theodolite. Sir Thomas Digges (1546-1595), was an English mathematician and astronomer; Si...

Migration of the Digg family to Ireland

Some of the Digg family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Digg migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Digg or a variant listed above were:

Digg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Digg, who landed in Virginia in 1650 7
Samll Digg, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 7
Maurice Digg, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 7

Citations +

Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)