Wigney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Wigney came to England with the ancestors of the Wigney family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wigney family lived in Norfolk, at Wiggenhall.

Early Origins of the Wigney family

The surname Wigney was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from about 1066, where they were conjecturally descended from Ralph Baynard, a Norman noble, who held the lands of Wiggenhall in Norfolk.

Early History of the Wigney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wigney research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wigney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wigney Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Wignall, Wignoll, Wignull, Wiggenhall and others.

Early Notables of the Wigney family

More information is included under the topic Early Wigney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wigney migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wigney or a variant listed above:

Wigney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M DeBoo Wigney, aged 44, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
Maria Cath Zyderlaan Wigney, aged 17, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
Maria Henrietta Wigney, aged 18, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
P F Wigney, aged 37, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 1
Mrs. Wigney, aged 51, who landed in America, in 1894

Wigney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs William Wigney, aged 60, who settled in America, in 1907
William Wigney, aged 62, who settled in America, in 1907
Ernest L. Wigney, aged 36, who landed in America from London, England, in 1908
Thomas Wigney, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland, in 1908
Charles Wigney, aged 55, who immigrated to the United States, in 1924
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wigney 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:

Wigney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

E. Wigney, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred The Great" in 1859

Contemporary Notables of the name Wigney (post 1700) +

Isaac Newton Wigney (1795-1844), English banker and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1832 to 1842
Stuart Wigney (b. 1969), former Australian rules footballer

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)