Pagrave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Pagrave surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the region of Palgrave in various counties throughout England. Pagrave is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Pagrave family

The surname Pagrave was first found in Suffolk at Palgrave, a village and civil parish that dates back to 962 when it was listed as Palegrave. By the Domesday Book of 1086 the village's name evolved to Palegraua which was listed there at that time. 1 Great Palgrave in Norfolk has a similar entry in the Domesday Book but this entry is the first listing and therefore it is presumed a more recent village. The place name literally means "grove where the poles are got" from the Old English "pal + "graf" or "grove or a man called Paga" from the Old English personal name + "graf." 2

Early History of the Pagrave family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pagrave research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1525 and 1554 are included under the topic Early Pagrave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pagrave Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Pagrave include Palgrave, Palgrove and others.

Early Notables of the Pagrave family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

He spelled his name in a variety of ways including Pagrave, and was the eldest son of Henry Pagrave of North Barningham, in Norfolk...

Pagrave migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Pagrave Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Gregory Pagrave, who landed in Virginia in 1637 3
James Pagrave, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 3

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)