Show ContentsSpryggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Spryggs is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a person who because of their physical abilities was referred to as "sprack" or "spragg." This nickname surname was used to denote those individuals who were "agile", "nimble" and "quite lively." [1] [2] [3]

In Shakespeare's comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor, he states "He is a good sprag memory," IV. i. 84. [4]

Early Origins of the Spryggs family

The surname Spryggs was first found in Suffolk where Reginald Sprag is listed in Suffolk in 1303. This is generally considered to be the first record of the family. A few years later, Richard Sprak was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327 and Alice Sprakes was listed in Somerset in 1359. [5]

Early History of the Spryggs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spryggs research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1620, 1632, 1645, 1655, 1664, 1673, 1677, 1684, 1695, 1720, 1725, 1919, 1944 and 1946 are included under the topic Early Spryggs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spryggs Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Spryggs has undergone many spelling variations, including Spragg, Spragge, Sprague, Sprake, Sprigg, Spriggs and many more.

Early Notables of the Spryggs family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Rev. Harvey Spragg of Essex; Joshua Sprigg or Sprigge (1618-1684), an English Independent theologian and preacher, chaplain to Sir Thomas Fairfax; and Francis Spriggs (died 1725), a British pirate active...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spryggs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Spryggs family to Ireland

Some of the Spryggs family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 113 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Spryggs family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Spryggs were among those contributors: John Spragg who settled in New England in 1765; Richard Spragg arrived in Philadelphia in 1814; Anna, Francis, Jonathon, Mercy, Ralph, Richard and William Sprague all settled in Plymouth Massachusetts in 1623.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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