Batger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Batger surname lie with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name Batger began when someone in that family worked as a peddler who would travel buying and selling goods for profit. Another source claims the name was derived from the French word bagagier, or baggage-carrier. 1 A 'badger,' a hawker, was also a dealer in corn and other commodities, buying in one place to sell in another. 2

Early Origins of the Batger family

The surname Batger was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Richard le Bagger, who was listed on the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246 and later in Yorkshire in 1297. Later Yorkshire rolls included Adam Badger in 1324. 3

Badger was a Warwickshire name in the reign of Henry VIII.. There was a Thomas le Baggere in the adjoining county of Oxford in the 13th century. 4

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Thomas le Baggere, Oxfordshire and later the Lay Subsidy Rolls listed Robert le Bagger, Lancashire, 1333. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Bagger; and Ricardus Badger. 2

Interestingly, none of the dozen or so sources we consulted felt the name could have derived from badger, the animal.

Early History of the Batger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Batger research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1573, 1580, 1585, 1602, 1605, 1610, 1629, 1639, 1641, 1651, 1778 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Batger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Batger Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Batger has appeared include Badger, Badge, Bagehot, Baghot, Badghot and others.

Early Notables of the Batger family

Distinguished members of the family include George Badger, English bookseller in London who held a shop at St. Dunstan's Churchyard in 1641 and later at St. Dunstan's Churchyard, Fleet Street, 1641-1651. He is thought to have been a relation of Richard Badger [q. v.] and Thomas Badger [q. v.]. Richard Badger was the son of John Badger, of Stratford-upon-Avon. The parish registers of the town do not confirm this, the only entries of a Richard Badger being Richard, son to George Badger, born September 14th, 1580, and another son of the same name, born August 17th, 1585. There is no mention...
Another 142 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Batger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Batger family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Batger arrived in North America very early: Giles Badger who settled in New England in 1620; the same year as the "Mayflower"; Ann Badger settled in Virginia in 1639; William Badger settled in Nevis in 1670.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.