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Georg History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Georg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Belgium
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The Georg family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name 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 Georg family

The surname Georg 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 Georg family

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

Georg Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Georg include George, Gorge, Gorges, Georgeson and others.

Early Notables of the Georg 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
John George (d. 1690), was an English officer of the Royal Navy, Secretary of the Dominion of New England, killed in action with a French warship off Cape Sable Island

Migration of the Georg family to Ireland

Some of the Georg 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.

Georg migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Georg were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Georg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Georg, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 9
Symon Georg, who landed in Virginia in 1665 9

Georg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Wilhelm Georg, who landed in New York in 1709 9
Joh Georg, who arrived in America in 1709 9
Joh Jost Georg, who arrived in America in 1709 9
Johann Wilhelm Georg, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 9
Johann Anthony Georg, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Georg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Miss Georg, who arrived in Brazil in 1828 9
Jakob Georg Georg, who landed in North America in 1843 9
Johan Georg, who landed in Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Georg Dillus" 9
Mrs. Christine Georg, (nee Hoffman), who landed in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Georg Dillus" 9
Mr. Ferd. Georg, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Georg Dillus"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Georg (post 1700) +

Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932-2016), German prince, and through his marriage to Princess Birgitta of Sweden, was brother-in-law of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Mechthild Georg, German operatic mezzo-soprano, and a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Köln
Albert Georg (1846-1933), Hungarian statesman
Johann Georg Hunziker (1774-1850), Swiss industrialist and philanthropist, first Grand President of Canton Aargau, resolved the Freiamtersturm without bloodshed
Clemens Georg Arvay (1980-2023), Austrian non-fiction author of books with an emphasis on health ecology
Johann Georg Specht (1720-1803), German civil engineer and architect of numerous churches and castles
Johann Georg Wenrich (1787-1847), Austrian Orientalist and theologian who was appointed to the Academy of Sciences in Vienna in 1847
Johann Georg Conradi (1645-1699), German composer
Jean Georg Haffner (1777-1830), French physician, founder of the first spa located in Sopot
Friedrich Georg Tilly, Polish politician, Mayor of Warsaw from 1799 to 1806

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)
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)