Show ContentsAinger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Ainger

What does the name Ainger mean?

The name Ainger reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Ainger family lived in the area of Angers, Anjou France and is found there in charters in the Latinized form of Angevinus. 1

Early Origins of the Ainger family

The surname Ainger was first found in Essex, where Osmond Angevines held estates in 1086. 2 He and Wido Angevines were ancestors of a family which continued through to at least 1202 in the area. By 1165, some of the family had spread to Oxford, Surrey, York, and Norfolk. 3

In the Domesday "several of the name are found. The principal land-owner among them, who is supposed to have been of Breton origin, held considerable estates in Devonshire under Baldwin de Meules. A branch of Angers flourished at Carclew, from temp. Henry II. " 4

"Anger's Leigh in Somersetshire was held by the family from 1360 to 1427. John de Aunger served as knight of the shire for Leicester in three of Edward I.'s parliaments, and in the first held by Edward II. Josceline D'Aunger in 1169 witnessed the foundation charter of Lanercost Abbey, and Ralph de Angers in the thirteenth century held lands in Wilts. Ralph de Aungers was Sheriff of Notts, 49 and 50 Henry III. " 5

Lefuine Anger was listed in Suffolk in 1095 and Willelmus Angeri was recorded in Warwickshire in 1197. William filius Aunger was listed in Cambridgeshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 6

Early History of the Ainger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ainger research. Another 247 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1280, 1300, 1500, 1558, 1605, 1632, 1639, 1640, 1655, 1660, 1669, 1677, 1700, 1702, 1706 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Ainger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ainger Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ainger family name include Anger, Angier, Aunger, Angeri, Angear, Ainger and many more.

Early Notables of the Ainger family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Lefuine Anger, a prominent 11th century landholder in Suffolk; John Angier (1605-1677), an English nonconformist minister; and his nephew, Samuel...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ainger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ainger family to Ireland

Some of the Ainger family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Ainger migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Ainger family to immigrate North America:

Ainger Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Joseph Ainger, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1684 7
Ainger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Ainger, who landed in Massachusetts in 1838 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Ainger (post 1700) +

  • Daniel Brainard Ainger (1844-1913), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1878, 1894; Postmaster at Washington, District of Columbia, 1880-82 8
  • Thomas Ainger (1799-1863), English clergyman, born on 1 Aug. 1799 at Whittlesea and educated at the Norwich grammar school and St. John's College, Cambridge 9
  • Alfred Ainger (1837-1904), English biographer
  • Mrs. Patricia Ainger B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to the community in Daventry, Northamptonshire 10
  • Nicholas Richard Ainger (b. 1949), British Labour Member of Parliament


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. 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)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019
  10. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1


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