Wager History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wager family

The surname Wager was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1379 when Wilhelmus and Cecelia held the estates.

Early History of the Wager family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wager research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1560, 1566, 1630, 1656, 1664, 1665, 1666, 1709 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Wager History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wager Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Wager are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. 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. The variations of the name Wager include: Wager, Wagar, Wayger, Wage, Waygar, Waiger and others.

Early Notables of the Wager family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Wager (fl. 1566), English writer of interludes, known only by his works. His son Lewis Wager (fl. 1566), became rector of St. James's, Garlickhithe, on 28 March 1560
Sir Charles Wager (1666-1743), was a British admiral, grandson of John Wager (d. 1656) of St. Margaret's, Rochester, mariner; and son of Charles Wager (1630-1666.) After serving as a captain in the Na...

Wager Ranking

In the United States, the name Wager is the 9,759^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Wager migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Wager or a variant listed above:

Wager Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Wager, who landed in Virginia in 1696 2

Wager Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Leonhardt Wager, who landed in New York in 1709-1710 2
Martin Wager, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1770 2

Wager Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jean Wager, aged 13, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
Eugene Wager, who landed in Arkansas in 1885 2

Wager migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wager Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Allen Wager U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
Mr. Everhard Wager U.E., (Ederhardt, Wagar) who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1784 3
Private. John Everhart Wager U.E., (Johan, Johann, Everhardt, Eberhardt, Ephriam, Wagar) (b. 1732) born in Poppenweiler, Wuerttemberg, Germany from New York, USA who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1784 he served in Peter's Corps, Capt. John W Meyers Company with Jessup's Loyal Rangers, married to Magdalena Carver having 7 children, he died in 1796 3
Private. Thomas Wager U.E., (Wagar) (b. 1762) born in Ninepartners, Alnany, New York, USA from Livingston Manor, Albany, New York, USA who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1784 he enlisted in 1781 serving in the Royal Regiment of New York 2nd Battalion under Capt. William Redford's Company, married twice having 2 children, he died in 1834 3
Mr. Thomas & William Wager U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wager (post 1700) +

Michael Wager (1925-2011), American film and television actor
David Wager (1804-1870), American politician from New York, member of the New York State Assembly in 1833 and 1835
Walter Herman Wager (1924-2004), American novelist
Gregg Wager (b. 1958), American composer, pianist, and music critic
Clinton Belmar Wager (1920-1996), American professional football and basketball player
Anthony A. Wager (1932-1990), English child actor, best known for his role as the young "Pip" in Great Expectations (1946)
Harold William Taylor Wager FRS (1862-1929), British botanist and mycologist
Lawrence Rickard "Bill" Wager (1904-1965), British geologist, explorer and mountaineer
Sir Charles Wager (1666-1743), British Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty between 1733 and 1742
Henry Wager Halleck (1815-1872), nicknamed "Old Brains", an American United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer, General-in-Chief of all the Union armies in 1862

Citations +

"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X