Contents [hide]

Waugh History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Waugh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Early Origins of the Waugh family

The surname Waugh was first found in Dumfriesshire, where they held a family seat in Wauchopedale from about the year 1150. Robert de Wauchope was one of twelve knights who negotiated the law of the border territories in 1249.

The abbreviation of Waugh created a separate branch of the Clan, and David Waugh of Lanarkshire, Robert Waugh of Heap, rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. This latter person may have been the same as Robert de Wauchope who also rendered homage for the Wauchopes. 1

"The border name of Waugh is an abbreviation of Wau-chope, the Waughs are sprung from the Wauchopes and have the same arms." 1

Later some of the family we found across the border in England, where Willelmus Wahh was registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

"The Waughs, who are now established in England in the counties of Northumberland and Durham, probably hail originally from the Waughs of the Scottish border counties, where the name still has its home, especially in Roxburghshire and Dumfriesshire. The Waughs of Heip, in Roxburghshire, held those lands from the 13th to the 17th century." 3

Early History of the Waugh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waugh research. Another 227 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1436, 1445, 1448, 1467, 1500, 1521, 1526, 1536, 1539, 1543, 1551, 1565, 1585, 1587, 1589, 1590, 1597, 1598, 1633, 1649, 1656, 1664, 1672, 1682, 1723, 1734, 1751, 1754, 1766, 1770, 1783, 1810, 1827, 1829, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Waugh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waugh Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Waugh, Wauchope, Waughe, Walge, Wach, Walcht and others.

Early Notables of the Waugh family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Robert Wauchope (c. 1500-1551), Scottish cleric, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh from 1539 to 1551; John Waugh (1656-1734), an English clergyman, Bishop of Carlisle from 1723; and his son, John Wa...

Waugh Ranking

In the United States, the name Waugh is the 2,733^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4 However, in New Zealand, the name Waugh is ranked the 603^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,194 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Waugh family to Ireland

Some of the Waugh family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 215 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waugh migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Waugh Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Dorothy Waugh, who settled in New England in 1656
Dorothy Waugh, aged 20, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1656 6

Waugh Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Waugh, who landed in New England in 1733 6
James and John Waugh, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767
William Waugh, who settled in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1788

Waugh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Waugh, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1801 6
Black Alexander Waugh, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1812 6
David Waugh, aged 18, who arrived in New Jersey in 1812 6
Helen Waugh, her husband and child, settled in Savannah, Georgia, in 1820
James Waugh, who landed in Ohio in 1833 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Waugh migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Waugh Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mathew Waugh, a soldier, settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1837 7
Mr. James Waugh, aged 25 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Jessie" departing from the port of Limerick, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 8

Waugh migration to Australia +

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

Waugh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Waugh, Jr., Scottish convict who was convicted in Jedburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. William Waugh, (b. 1817), aged 24, Irish farm labourer from County Down, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 10
Miss Isabella Waugh, (b. 1825), aged 16, Irish house servant from County Down, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 11
Mr. William Waugh, Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 12

Waugh 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:

Waugh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Waugh, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 13
Mrs. Alison Waugh, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 13
Mr. Thomas Waugh, (b. 1832), aged 28, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 13
Mrs. Ann Waugh, (b. 1837), aged 23, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 13
Mr. James Waugh, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Waugh (post 1700) +

William Dawson "Billy" Waugh (1929-2023), United States Army Special Forces soldier and Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary operations officer who served more than 50 years for the U.S. Army's Green Berets and the CIA's Special Activities Division
John S. Waugh (1929-2014), American chemist awarded the Irving Langmuir Award (1976) and co-winner of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1983)
Hillary Baldwin Waugh (1920-2008), pioneering American mystery novelist. In 1989, Waugh was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America
Frank Albert Waugh (1869-1943), American landscape architect
First Lieutenant Robert T. Waugh (d. 1944), American officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
Henry Waugh, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Penang, 1907 15
Edgar W. Waugh, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan superintendent of public instruction, 1951 15
E. Otto Waugh, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Taylor County, 1941-42 15
Daniel Webster Waugh (1842-1921), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Indiana 9th District, 1891-95 15
Charles M. Waugh, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Muskegon County 1st District, 1961 15
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Waugh Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Industria ditat
Motto Translation: Industry enriches.

Sources +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 60)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=231
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=268
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html