Maugher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Maugher is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The name Maugher came from the Norman given name Mauger. The name indicates one who is the son of Maugier, an Old French personal name, which is derived from the Old Germanic name Malger, which means council spear. 1

Early Origins of the Maugher family

The surname Maugher was first found in Normandy where Mauguer was the third son of Richard I, Duke of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He ruled as Count of Corbeil through his wife Germaine de Corbeil.

Mauger (or Malger) was the youngest son of Richard II and his second wife, Papia of Envermeu. He rose to become Archbishop of Rouen in 1037. However, as he opposed the marriage of Duke William and Matilda of Flanders in 1049, he was banished from Rouen to the Isle of Guernsey. There he married Gisella or Guille "without sanction of the Church, he formed an intimacy that resulted in numerous progeny, some of whom took their father's, others their mother's name. 'Hence,' observes a correspondent 'Guilles and Maugers are as plentiful as blackberries on the Channel Islands'"2. The Norman poet Wace (c.1110-1174), related stories of his life on the Channel Islands some 100 years later.

Another Mauger was royal clerk and physician before he was elected to the see of Worcester in 1199, a position held until his death in 1212. Sir Mathias Mayer (Mayor), originally a Jerseyman was ancestor of the Majors of Hampshire.

In England, the Domesday Book of 1086 records the name as a surname in Latin form: Hugo filius Malgeri. 3 The same source also lists a variant, similarly in Latin: Drogo filius Matelgerii. 1 As a forename we find Malger filius Gilleberti in Nottinghamshire (1150-1160.) In Somerset, John Mauger or Malger was listed there in 1250 and later in the Assize Rolls on 1272. The place name "Tolleshunt Major (Essex) owes its attribute to the Domesday Book's Malger." 1

"The font-name was fairly popular in the 13th century. Mauger is found as a single personal name in the Hundredorum Rolls." 4 However, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had listings as a surname too: Thomas filius Mager in Lincolnshire; Walter Mauger in Cambridgeshire; and Richard Malgor in Buckinghamshire. 4

Early History of the Maugher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maugher research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1469, 1550, 1615, 1655 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Maugher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maugher Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Maugher are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Maugher include Major, Mauger, Magor, Maior, Mayer, Mayor, Mager and others.

Early Notables of the Maugher family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maugher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Maugher family to Ireland

Some of the Maugher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maugher migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Maugher, or a variant listed above:

Maugher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edmund Maugher, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 5

Maugher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Maugher, aged 26, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 5

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)