Newgent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland

The surname is one of the Anglo-Norman names that arrived in Ireland in the wake of the 12th century invasion by Richard "Strongbow" de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The surname Newgent belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. The name of the Newgent family comes from one of the many places called Nogent in France. The Gaelic form of the surname Newgent is Nuinseann.

Early Origins of the Newgent family

The surname Newgent was first found in county Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they held a family seat after 1172.

Early History of the Newgent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newgent research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1213, 1486, 1544, 1583, 1602, 1607, 1621, 1642, 1669, 1671, 1680, 1684, 1714, 1715, 1752 and 1754 are included under the topic Early Newgent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newgent Spelling Variations

Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name Newgent revealed the following spelling variations: Nugent, Nogent, Newgent, Neugent, Newgant, Newgeant, Nuegent, Nougent, Newjeant, Nujent, Noigent, Nuigent, Nuijent, Nushend, Newshent, Newshand, Neushant and many more.

Early Notables of the Newgent family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Sir Christopher Nugent, 6th Baron Delvin (1544-1602), an Irish nobleman and writer who was arrested on suspicion of treason against Queen Elizabeth I of England; Richard Nugent, 1st Earl Of Westmeath (1583-1642), an Irish nobleman and politician, imprisoned for plotting against the Crown in 1607, but was later pardoned and thereafter a reliable supporter of...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Newgent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newgent migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Newgent:

Newgent Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christ Newgent, who landed in Virginia in 1634 1
C Newgent, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 1
William Newgent, who arrived in Maryland in 1649 1
William Newgent, who landed in Virginia in 1654 1

Citations +

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)