Show ContentsPage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

During that dark period of history known as the Middle Ages, the name of Page was first used in France. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Page family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Page was an occupational name for a young servant to a nobleman who was in the first stage of training for knighthood. Such a servant was known in Old French as a page.

Early Origins of the Page family

The surname Page was first found in Dauphiny (French: Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois), a former province in southeastern France, where the family was anciently seated in a parish, in the department of Isère, in the district of Vienne.

Several members of this distinguished family became well-known. Gui Pageau, a poet from Le Mans, published a volume of "Cantiques" and "Noëls" in 1584. Margarit Pageau was also a poet; he was born in Vendôme during the 16th century. He published his work, "Oeuvres poétiques." Louis-Léon Pajot, Count of Onsembray, was born in Paris in 1678. He took the philosophy of Descartes and wrote several works on this subject. After the death of his father, he inherited a country estate in Bercy. He died in 1753.

Early History of the Page family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Page research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1764, 1791 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Page History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Page Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Page, Pages, Pagé, Paget, Pager, Pageot, Pajot, Pageon, Pagenot, Pagenel, Pagenelle, Pageard, Pageaud, Pageau and many more.

Early Notables of the Page family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Pierre-François Page was born in 1764 in la Gardelle, in Haute-Garonne...

Page World Ranking

In the United States, the name Page is the 318th most popular surname with an estimated 84,558 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Page is ranked the 307th most popular surname with an estimated 14,345 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Page is the 290th popular surname. 3 France ranks Page as 796th with 6,309 people. 4 Australia ranks Page as 205th with 16,144 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Page as 218th with 2,614 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Page as 165th with 32,623 people. 7


United States Page migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Page Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Page of Essex who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
  • Mrs. Phoebe Paine Page of Essex who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 8
  • Mr. John Page, Jr. of Essex who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 8
  • Mr. Daniel Page of Essex who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 8
  • Mr. Thomas Page, aged 29, from London, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase", bound for Maine 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Page Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Matthew Page, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 10
  • Francis Page, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 10
  • Elinor Page, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 10
  • Catherine Page, who landed in Virginia in 1704 10
  • Anthony Page, who landed in Virginia in 1714 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Page Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Richard Page, aged 54, who landed in New York in 1812 10
  • Joseph Page, aged 51, who arrived in New York in 1812 10
  • Job Page, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1812 10
  • Joel Page, aged 37, who landed in New York in 1812 10
  • George Page, aged 19, who landed in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Page migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Page Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Robert Page, son of Raymond and Madeleine, who married Marguerite Gaudin, daughter of Barthélemi and Marthe, in Quebec on 8th January 1668 11
  • Raymond Page, son of Raymond and Madeleine, who married Marguerite Gaudin, daughter of Barthélemi and Marthe, in Quebec on 8th January 1668 11
  • Guillaume Page, son of Raymond and Madeleine, who married Elisabeth Letartre, daughter of René and Anne, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 30th January 1679 11
Page Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Martin Page, son of Robert and Marguerite, who married Françoise Gaudin, daughter of Charles and Marie, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 17th November 1704 11
  • Pierre Page, son of Robert and Marguerite, who married Marie-Catherine Morisset, daughter of Mathurin and Élisabeth, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 19th June 1713 11
  • Pierre Page, son of Robert and Marguerite, who married Marie-Catherine Morisset, daughter of Mathurin and Elisabeth, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 19th June 1713 11
  • Jean-François Page, son of Robert and Marguerite, who married Marie-Anne Cocquin, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 25th June 1714 11
  • Louis Page, son of Guillaume and Isabelle, who married Isabelle Piché, daughter of Adrien and Elisabeth, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 20th January 1716 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Page Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Stephen Page, who landed in Canada in 1833
  • Alexander Page, who arrived in Canada in 1834
  • Timothy Terrard Page, who landed in Canada in 1841

Australia Page migration to Australia +

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

Page Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Page, British convict who was convicted in Derby, England for life, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Miss Mary Page, (b. 1780), aged 23, British Convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1829 13
  • Miss Mary Page, (b. 1780), aged 24, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 2nd January 1804, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1829 14
  • Mr. William Page, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
  • Mr. James Page, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Page migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Page Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Page, aged 38, a bricklayer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Sarah Page, aged 35, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Mary Page, aged 12, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • Joseph Page, aged 5, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • William Page, aged 2, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Page migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17
Page Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Mathew Page, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 18
  • Mr. Thomas Page, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 19
  • Richard and Henry Page, who settled in Barbados in 1663
  • Elizabeth Page settled with her husband Edward in Barbados in 1670

Contemporary Notables of the name Page (post 1700) +

  • John G. "Jack" Page III (1950-2020), American politician, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives (1993-2010)
  • Thomas Alden "Tommy" Page (1970-2017), American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1990 hit single, "I'll Be Your Everything"
  • Brigadier-General John Watt Page (1882-1961), American Adjutant-General of Texas (1940-1943) 20
  • Patti Page (1927-2013), born Clara Ann Fowler, American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music and the best-selling female artist of the 1950s
  • Tim Page (b. 1954), American writer, editor, music critic, producer and professor awarded the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
  • Clarence Page (b. 1947), American reporter who won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
  • Robert Morris Page (1903-1992), American physicist with the U.S. Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC
  • Bettie Page (1923-2008), American pin-up model, one of the first Playboy playmates
  • Lawrence "Larry" Page (b. 1973), American computer scientist best known as co-founder of Google Inc
  • Anita Page (1910-2008), American film actress who reached stardom in the last years of the silent film era
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Miss Clarrie May Page (d. 1914), British Stewardess from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 21
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Victor E F Page (b. 1912), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Southampton, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22
  • Mr. Edwin H G Le Page (b. 1910), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Guernsey, Channel Island, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. John Birley Page, British Gunner, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 23
  • Mr. Walter Richard Douglas Page, British Sub Lieutenant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 23
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Andrew Page, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 24
  • Mr. John Harvey Page, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 24


Suggested Readings for the name Page +

  • The History and Genealogy of the Robert and Rachel Page Family, c1750-1827 from Goochland County, Virginia, and Spartanburg County, South Carolina by Donald W. Pa.
  • Carolina Page's: (sic) a Compilation of Genealogical Information on Page Families in the Carolinas Beginning in 1521 to Present Time by Robert E. Page.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  9. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  10. 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)
  11. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  18. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  19. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  20. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) John Page. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Page/John_Watt/USA.html
  21. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  22. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  23. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  24. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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