Show ContentsFirmage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Firmage family

The surname Firmage was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1160 when Henry Furnmage held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Firmage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Firmage research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1455, 1487 and 1524 are included under the topic Early Firmage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Firmage Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Firmage include Firmage, Furmage, Furdmedge, Firminger, Formage, Fromage, Ffirmage and many more.

Early Notables of the Firmage family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Firmage family of Lincolnshire

Migration of the Firmage family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Firmage or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Firmage (post 1700) +

  • Joe Firmage, CEO and founder of ManyOne Networks, and founder of the Digital Universe Foundation


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