Geeorge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Geeorge is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from the given name of the father and was typically denoted as "the son of George." The personal name George was originally derived from the Greek word which means someone who was a farmer or someone who worked the land. 1

Another source claims a Norman influence as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Richard and William de St. Georgio in Normandy as well as Robert, William, Ralph de St. Georgio were listed there 1180-1195. 2

Interestingly, one source notes the variant Georges was of some note, particularly in Ireland: "Of the family planted by the Georges of Hastings, branches spread over the counties of Hertford, Dorset, Somerset, and Wilts. In the last named shires it was seated at Longford, and possessed so influential a position, that Sir Edward Georges, of Longford, obtained a baronetcy in 1612, and was afterwards raised to the peerage of Ireland, as Baron Georges, of Dundalk. " 3

The Charge variant is derived from "Gardge, Gordge, Gorges, or Gaurges, from Gaurges in the Cotentin. Ralph de Gorges married the heiress of Morville, and acquired her estates in Dorset. Raoulde Gorges, married an heiress of Morville, and had the manors of Wraxall and Bradpole, cos. Dorset and Somerset, and was sheriff of Devonshire." 4 2 "The chateau de Gorges, one of whose lords was at the battle of Hastings, stands in the parish of the same name, in the canton of Periers, department of La Manche, Normandy." 4

Early Origins of the Geeorge family

The surname Geeorge was first found in Dorset where it is noted as a somewhat rare name in mediaeval records. The popularity of the name increased during the Crusades which brought more contact with the Orthodox Church. St. George, who slew his famous dragon in 303 A.D., may have inspired the use of this name.

In 1348, Edward III founded the Order of the Garter under the patronage of St. George and by 1415, a yearly festival was set in place that continues today. Today, St. George is considered the patron saint of England.

One of the first records was Hugo filius Georgii who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1222 in Norfolk. 5

By the time of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name was scattered throughout ancient England and Wales. Those rolls listed: Robert Gorge in Oxfordshire; William Gorge in Cambridgeshire; and Jeorgius Clericus in Lincolnshire. 6

Guppy notes the "name at present most numerous in Monmouthshire, and after that in South Wales. Bare in the south coast counties, excepting Cornwall, and in the north of England, north of the Wash and the Dee." 7

Further to the north in Scotland, the name appeared later as "it was a not uncommon surname in Prestwick in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Archibald George appears as burgess and councillor of Irvine, 1597." 8

Early History of the Geeorge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Geeorge research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1412, 1471, 1511, 1566, 1594, 1625, 1626, 1640, 1644, 1647, 1674, 1677, 1678, 1690, 1700, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Geeorge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Geeorge Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Geeorge has been spelled many different ways, including George, Gorge, Gorges, Georgeson and others.

Early Notables of the Geeorge family

Distinguished members of the family include John George (1594-1677), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1626 and 1678. Sir Ferdinando Gorges (1566?-1647), was an "English naval and military commander, Governor of Plymouth, the 'Father of English Colonisation in America,' of a family said to have been settled in Somersetshire from the time of Henry I, and holding estates in the parish of Wraxall from the time of Edward II, was the younger son of Edward Gorges of Wraxall." 9 Sir Arthur Gorges (d. 1625), was an...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Geeorge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Geeorge family to Ireland

Some of the Geeorge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Geeorge family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Geeorges to arrive in North America: Jane George, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Henry George, who arrived in Virginia in 1635; Peter George, who arrived in Braintree, MA in 1642; Robert George, who settled in Virginia in 1642.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print