Pledge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Pledge

What does the name Pledge mean?

The Pledge surname comes from the Middle English word "pleggere," meaning "one who pledges in a lawsuit." 1 2

Early Origins of the Pledge family

The surname Pledge was first found in Glastonbury, Somerset where Richard Plegger was registered as holding lands in 1309. William Plegge was listed in the Feet of Fines for Surrey 1435-1436 and John Pleger was recorded in 1525. Elias Pledger was found in Essex in 1662 and Robert Pledge was listed in Surrey in 1569. 1

One source claims "the Pledgers may, perhaps, derive their name from Pledgen, an Essex hamlet." 3

Early History of the Pledge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pledge research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1599 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Pledge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pledge Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pledger, Pledgard, Pledgar, Pledgred, Pleger and others.

Early Notables of the Pledge family

the Pledger family of Cambridgeshire...
Of this family was Sir Thomas Pledger of Ashdon Essex (d. 1599), whose memorial is in Bottisham Church, Cambridgeshire...

Pledge migration to the United States +

Pledge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nich. Pledge, who settled in Virginia in 1636
Nich Pledge, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 4

Pledge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Pledge, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Pledge 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:

Pledge Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Pledge, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Pledge (post 1700) +

Dan Pledge, American editor, known for How Do They Do It? (2006), Seconds from Disaster (2004) and Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash (2009)
Angela Pledge, American special effects specialist, known for Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), Prometheus (2012) and Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace (1999)
Nick Pledge, American special effects and animator, known for Predestination (2014), Where the Wild Things Are (2009) and Knowing (2009)
Sarah Dawn Pledge, American actress, known for Hope and Grace (2020), The Curtain (2017) and Dead Boy Detectives (2024)

Sources +

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