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Drage History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Drage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Drage is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Drage family lived in Yorkshire at Drax, which dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Drac. Later in the 11th century, the parish was known as Drachs. 1 2

Early Origins of the Drage family

The surname Drage was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Drax, a parish, in the union of Selby, Lower division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash. 3

Early History of the Drage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drage research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1637 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Drage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drage Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Drax, Dracks and others.

Early Notables of the Drage family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Drage (1637?-1669), English medical writer, a native of Northamptonshire, born in or about 1637. 4

Drage migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Drage or a variant listed above:

Drage Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Theodorus Swaine Drage, who landed in North Carolina in 1769 5

Drage Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Caroline Drage, who arrived in Texas in 1845 5
Caroline Drage, who settled in Texas in 1845
Auguste Drage, who sailed from Hamburg to New York in 1873

Drage migration to Australia +

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

Drage Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Drage, (b. 1798), aged 26, English farm labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Samuel Drage, English convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
James Drage, aged 16, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "British Empire" 8
John Drage, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "British Empire" 8
Elizabeth Drage, aged 63, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Steadfast" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Drage 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:

Drage Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J. Drage, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Drage (post 1700) +

Thomas Drage (b. 1992), Norwegian footballer

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH EMPIRE 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850BritishEmpire.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEADFAST 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/steadfast1852.shtml