Contents [hide]

Heger History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Heger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
England

The ancestors of the Heger family were part of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The name Heger is derived from the Gaelic form Mac-an-t-sagairt, which means son of the priest. Patronymic names often substituted the name of a saint or other revered religious figure in place of a devout bearer's actual father. However, the patronym Heger often denotes actual paternity in this case, since the marriage of clerics in minor orders was permissible, although the marriage of priests was declared illegal and invalid during the 12th century.

The etymology of the name is much in debate. One source notes the "family are supposed to be derived from the Ogards of co. Hertfordshire." or the name "Haggard is a corruption of "hay-garth," a rick yard, and is so employed in Hall and Holinshed, as well as in several provincial dialects, but most probably, an ancient baptismal name which occurs in Domesday as Acard and Acardus." 1

Early Origins of the Heger family

The surname Heger was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

The Scottish branch of the family was recorded quite late as "the name occurs in Suffolk in thirteenth century as Hacgard." 2 3

One of the first records of the family was found in Worcestershire, England where Alice Haggard was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1275. 4 In this case, the name may have been derived from the Middle English and Old French word hagard which means 'wild, untamed.'

Early History of the Heger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heger research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1723 is included under the topic Early Heger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heger Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Heger has been spelled Haggard, Hagard, Hagger, Hagart, Haggart, Hager and many more.

Early Notables of the Heger family

More information is included under the topic Early Heger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heger Ranking

In the United States, the name Heger is the 15,807^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Heger migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Heger:

Heger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Fredrik Heger, who arrived in New York in 1709 6
Jonathan Heger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 6
Johan Ludwig Heger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 6
Philip Heger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
Valentin Heger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1744 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ignatz Heger, who landed in America in 1834 6
Joh Heinr Heger, who landed in America in 1836 6
Bern Ignatz Heger, who landed in America in 1836 6
Heinr Heger, who landed in America in 1836 6
Steffen Martin Heger, who arrived in America in 1836 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heger migration to Australia +

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

Heger Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Stephen Heger, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Susannah" in 1849 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Heger (post 1700) +

Astrid Heppenstall Heger, American Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the USC Keck School of Medicine and the founder and Executive Director of the Violence Intervention Program at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
Eline Heger (1774-1842), née Schmidt, a Danish stage actress and ballet dancer
Leoš Heger (b. 1948), Czech doctor, a university lecturer and a politician, 14th Minister of Health (2010-2013)
Wanda Maria Heger (b. 1921), Norwegian social worker, noted for her efforts to help Norwegian and other prisoners in Nazi concentration camps during World War II
Paul Héger (1846-1925), Belgian biologist
Heinz Heger (1917-1994), pen name used of Josef Kohoutan, an Austrian Nazi concentration camp survivor
Constantin Georges Romain Héger (1809-1896), Belgian teacher of the Victorian era who became romantically involved with Charlotte Brontë during the 1840s; he tore up her love letters to him only to have them sown back together by his wife
Anders Heger (b. 1956), Norwegian publisher and writer, awarded the Brage Prize for his novel Et diktet liv
Altfrid Heger, German racing driver who competed in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship, winner of the 1988 Guia Race
Robert Heger (1886-1978), German conductor and composer, President of State High School of Munich and First conductor of State Opera, Munich

The Heger Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Modeste conabor
Motto Translation: I will attempt moderately.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SUSANNAH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Susannah.htm