Show ContentsSt George History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the Middle Ages, French families took on surnames with increasing frequency. St George appeared at that time in the province of Limousin. It was derived from the ancient personal name George, which was borne by the popular Saint. It is ultimately Greek in origin and translates as tiller of the soil or farmer.

Early Origins of the St George family

The surname St George was first found in Limousin, where the family has been traced to the early ages.

Early History of the St George family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our St George research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1356, 1403, 1581, 1610, 1635, 1644, 1652, 1688, 1700, 1704, 1724, 1763 and 1784 are included under the topic Early St George History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

St George Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name St George, including Saint-Georges, Saint-George, de Saint-George, du Saint-George and many more.

Early Notables of the St George family

Notable amongst the family was the Governors of the Provinces; two Knights of the Orders in 1688 and 1724; Ambassador to Denmark, Holland and Switzerland. Sir Henry Saint-George (1581-1644), was English Garter king-of-arms, eldest son of Sir Richard Saint-George, created Rouge Rose pursuivant-extraordinary in May 1610. Sir Richard...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early St George Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

St George Ranking

In the United States, the name St George is the 10,292nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Australia St George migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

St George Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John St George, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2

New Zealand St George 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:

St George Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr St. George, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Amelia Thompson

Contemporary Notables of the name St George (post 1700) +

  • Sir John St. George (1812-1891), British General, the eldest son of Lieutenant-colonel John St. George of Parkfield, Birkenhead, Commander of Royal Artillery in Malta (1857-1859)
  • Judith St. George, American author of some forty books, historical fiction, mysteries, adventure, nonfiction and biographies and winner of numerous awards
  • Nonnie St. George, award winning Romance Author


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie


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