Davage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Davage

What does the name Davage mean?

Davage is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the first name David, which means "beloved." The name David was quite popular as an honor to the biblical king of that name. Its popularity increased in Britain firstly by virtue of its being the name of the patron saint of Wales.

Early Origins of the Davage family

The surname Davage was first found in Sussex where they were Lords of the manor of Peasmarsh in that shire, and were descended from Robert, Count of Eu, in Normandy.

Early History of the Davage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davage research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1107 and 1969 are included under the topic Early Davage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davage 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 Davidge, Davidis, Daivilla, Daivile, Davadge and others.

Early Notables of the Davage family

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

Davage migration to Canada +

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 Davage name or one of its variants:

Davage Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Daniel Davage, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "William" from Cork, Ireland
Thomas Davage was a planter of Bay du Nord, Newfoundland in 1871 1

Sources +

Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0