Meiggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The generations and branches of the Meiggs family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Meiggs comes from the name Megg, which is a pet form of the female personal name Margaret. The name Meiggs is a metronymic surname, which is derived from the name of the mother, and features the common patronymic suffix -son, which was most popular in the north of England and superseded other patronymic suffixes during the 14th century.

Early Origins of the Meiggs family

The surname Meiggs was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat. Commonly used surname in ancient times, Meg-son was literally the son of Meg or Margeret. The name proliferated in Oxfordshire where John Megge was recorded in 1273. However, the popularity of the name diminished and by the year 1500 had become somewhat obscure. Modifications such as Meggison emerged and included others as Meggotson, and so on but the main stem of the family name moved north to Northumberland. It was here at Whalton that a " barony was conferred by the Conqueror upon Walter Fitz-William, to be held by the service of three knights' fees. It was afterwards possessed by the Fitz-Rogers, Fitz-Roberts, and others 3 in the reign of James I. was held by the crown 3 and was subsequently granted to the Meggison family. " [1]

Early History of the Meiggs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meiggs research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 137 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Meiggs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meiggs Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Meiggs include Megson, Meggson, Meggison, Meggeson, Megginson, Meiggs, Meggenson, Meggy and many more.

Early Notables of the Meiggs family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Meiggs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meiggs migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Meiggs or a variant listed above:

Meiggs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J L Meiggs, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Meiggs (post 1700) +

Russell Meiggs, MA FBA, a historian
Harry Meiggs Wolter (1884-1970), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1907 through 1917

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)