Show ContentsGinger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ginger family

The surname Ginger was first found in Norfolk 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 1205 when Thomas Geg held estates.

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

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 Ginger has appeared include Gedge, Gidge, Gigg, Gegg, Ginge, Genge and others.

Early Notables of the Ginger family

Distinguished members of the family include 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...
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.


United States Ginger migration to the United States +

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 Ginger arrived in North America very early:

Ginger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • David Ginger, who landed in South Carolina in 1743 1
Ginger Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Edward A G Ginger, who arrived in Alabama in 1917 1
  • Edward Albert Gommen Ginger, who landed in Alabama in 1917 1

Australia Ginger migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

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) 2

New Zealand 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 3
  • 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 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ginger (post 1700) +

  • Helen Ginger Berrigan (b. 1948), 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 4
  • Ginger Pooley (b. 1977), née Reyes, an American rock musician, best known as a bassist and backing vocalist for the rock band The Smashing Pumpkins
  • Ginger Redmon, American Daytime Emmy Award and Writers Guild of America Award nominated television soap opera writer
  • Ginger Lacey, British fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force, during World War II, credited with 28 aerial victories
  • Ginger Avery-Buckner, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 2000, 2004, 2008 5
  • Ginger Mack, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 6
  • Ginger Shackelford, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1996 7


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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