Ruggle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Ruggle

What does the name Ruggle mean?

The name Ruggle reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Ruggle family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Ruggle family lived in Suffolk. Their name, however, is a reference to Rugles, a village in the department of Eure, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1 The name Rudgely is of the same derivation and shares its coat of arms with the Ruggles family.

Early Origins of the Ruggle family

The surname Ruggle was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Ruggle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ruggle research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1575 and 1622 are included under the topic Early Ruggle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruggle Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Ruggle, Ruggles and others.

Early Notables of the Ruggle family

George Ruggle (1575-1622), English author of 'Ignoramus,' born at Lavenham, Suffolk, fifth and youngest son of Thomas Ruggle, stated to be a clothier...

Ruggle migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Ruggle name or one of its variants:

Ruggle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Ruggle, who settled in Roxbury Massachusetts in 1637 and was originally of Suffolk

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.