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Rugg History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Rugg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought many new words to England from which surnames were formed. Rugg was one of these new Norman names. It was specifically tailored to its first bearer, who was a person associated with the color red, whether through hair color, clothing, or complexion. Accordingly, the name is derived from the Old French word ruge, meaning red.

Early Origins of the Rugg family

The surname Rugg was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Felmingham. This ancient manor dates back to the Domesday Book, 1 a survey of England taken in 1086 by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England at Hastings in 1066 A.D. In the survey, the village, which also included a Mill and Church, was held from the King by Ashford, Roger Bigod, and the Abbot of Holme. Conjecturally the family name Rugg is descended from one of these Norman nobles, although which one is uncertain.

Early History of the Rugg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rugg research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1410, 1536, 1549, 1550, 1572, 1573, 1576, 1581, 1610, 1657 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Rugg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rugg Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Rugg, Rug, Rugge and others.

Early Notables of the Rugg family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Robert Rigge, Rygge or Rugge (died 1410), English Chancellor of the University of Oxford, a native of Devonshire, and possibly a relative of Thomas de Bitton, bishop of Exeter
William Rugg (died 1550), was an English Benedictine theologian, and Bishop of Norwich from 1536 to 1549. Descended from an old Shropshire family, who were large landholders in that county as far back...
Thomas Rugge (died 1672), was an English diarist, a descendant of John Rugge, who was created Archdeacon of Wells in place of John Cotterell in 1572. His father was noted for his knowledge of civil la...

Rugg Ranking

In the United States, the name Rugg is the 9,775^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Rugg migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Rugg or a variant listed above:

Rugg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Rugg who settled in Virginia in 1643
Benj Rugg, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 3
Ann Rugg, who landed in Virginia in 1650 3
John Rugg, who landed in Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1654 3
Honnor Rugg, who settled in Virginia in 1670
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rugg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M. Rugg settled in San Francisco, California in 1852

Rugg migration to Australia +

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

Rugg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Rugg, (b. 1731), aged 69, English labourer who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Miss Ann Rugg, (b. 1810), aged 36, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Rugg 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:

Rugg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Andrew Rugg, (b. 1831), aged 44, Scottish carpenter from Caithness travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Mrs. Mary Rugg, (b. 1833), aged 42, Scottish settler from Caithness travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Mr. Alexander Rugg, (b. 1856), aged 19, Scottish blacksmith from Caithness travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Miss Anne Rugg, (b. 1861), aged 14, Scottish settler from Caithness travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
Miss Jean Rugg, (b. 1863), aged 12, Scottish settler from Caithness travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rugg (post 1700) +

Jim Rugg (b. 1977), American cartoonist and illustrator
Charles Nosike "Charlie" Rugg (b. 1990), American soccer player
Sylvanus T. Rugg (1834-1881), American Union Army officer
Paul Rugg (b. 1960), American two-time Daytime Emmy Award winning and Primetime Emmy Award nominated screen writer and actor
Susie Rugg (b. 1982), Australian actress
Gordon Rugg (b. 1955), Scottish academic
Sir Edward Percy Rugg, Councillor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Historic Events for the Rugg family +

RMS Titanic

Miss Emily Rugg, aged 21, English Second Class passenger from Guernsey, Channel Islands who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 12 7

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html