Ginger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Ginger

What does the name Ginger mean?

The name Ginger derives its origin from the Middle English word "gigge," which was a nickname for ‘a flighty, giddy girl.’ 1

Early Origins of the Ginger family

The surname Ginger was first found in Norfolk, England where William Gigan was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1198. This person may be related to Robert and William Gigan or Gigon, who were listed in Normandy in the same year according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 2 Thomas Geg was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for Norfolk in 1205. Early records in Huntingdonshire show Walter le Geg in 1221 and later William Gegge was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1263. Alice la Gegges was found at Colchester in 1310. 1

Hugo Gigge was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Suffolk in 1220 1 and later again, Walter le Gig was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls for Norfolk c. 1272. 2

Early History of the Ginger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ginger research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1455, 1487, 1500, 1508, 1530, 1570 and 1572 are included under the topic Early Ginger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ginger Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Ginger has been recorded under many different variations, including Gedge, Gidge, Gigg, Gegg, Ginge, Genge and others.

Early Notables of the Ginger family

Margaret Giggs (1508-1570), birth name of Margaret Clement or Clements, understood to be one of the most educated women of the Tudor era. Born in Norfolk, her father was a gentleman but enlisted the aid of Sir Thomas More, who brought her up from a child with his own daughters. In 1530, she married John Clement (1500-1572), the English...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ginger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ginger migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Ginger or a variant listed above:

Ginger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Ginger, who landed in South Carolina in 1743 3

Ginger Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward A G Ginger, who arrived in Alabama in 1917 3
Edward Albert Gommen Ginger, who landed in Alabama in 1917 3

Ginger migration to Australia +

Ginger Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Jeremiah Ginger, (b. 1817), aged 15, English errand boy who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for embezzlement, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Ginger 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:

Ginger Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Ginger, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand in September 1852 5
Mrs. Ginger, British settler travelling from London with 7 children aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand in September 1852 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Ginger (post 1700) +

Ann Fagan Ginger (1925-2025), American lawyer, teacher, writer and political activist, founder an Executive Director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute in Berkeley, California
Ray Ginger (1924-1975), American historian, author, and biographer, husband of Ann Fagan Ginger
Sergei Ginger (1870-1937), Moldovan architect
Phyllis Ginger (1907-2005), British artist and illustrator who is best known for the topographical watercolours she produced during the Second World War for the Recording Britain project
George Ginger (1863-1938), British philatelist who signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1934
Helen Ginger Berrigan (1948-2024), United States federal judge
Ginger Mayson (1954-2023), American college volleyball coach at the University of South Alabama and assistant coach for Kansas State for the 1985 season
Ginger Krieg Dosier, American architect who, in 2010, developed a technique for using microbiologically induced calcite precipitation to manufacture bricks for construction, winner of the 2010 Metropolis Next Generation Design Competition
Ginger Lew, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Rules Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 6

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
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 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html