Show ContentsSaggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Saggs Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Saggs

What does the name Saggs mean?

The name Saggs was brought to Britain by the early Norman settlers that followed the 1066 Conquest of the island. The name is derived from the Old French word "sage," meaning "wise;" thus it is supposed that it was originally a nickname for a wise or learned person.

One of the oldest records of the family in Normandy was "Richard Sapiens or le Sage" who was listed there in 1198. Another source notes that Joen le Sage was also there(1180-1195.) All were listed in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 1

Another source notes that the name "probably a translation of Le Sage, still a very common French surname. It has reference to the wisdom and prudence of the original bearer." 2 "This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the sage,' the wise, the sagacious." 3

Early Origins of the Saggs family

The surname Saggs was first found in various counties throughout ancient Britain. One of the first listings in England was Bernard le Sage in Norfolk, temp. Richard I (reign 1189-1199.) Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: Richard le Sage in Oxfordshire. 3 4 The Close Rolls listed William le Sage temp. 1 Edward I (during the first year's reign of Edward I.)

Much later, some of the family presumably migrated to Scotland where James Sage had precept of remission in 1536 and John Sage (1652-1711), was an Episcopal divine, born in Creich, Fife. 5

Early History of the Saggs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saggs research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1536, 1651, 1652, 1673, 1674 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Saggs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Saggs Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Sage, Sayge and others.

Early Notables of the Saggs family

John Sage (1652-1711), a Scottish nonjuring bishop and controversialist in the Jacobite interest. He was born in 1652 at Creich, Fifeshire, where his ancestors had lived for seven generations. His father was a captain in the royalist forces at the time of the taking of Dundee by Monck in 1651. Having been...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Saggs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Saggs family to Ireland

Some of the Saggs family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Saggs migration to Australia +

Saggs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry Saggs, British Convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for life , transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Saggs (post 1700) +

  • Alfred Saggs, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1972 7
  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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