BAGE
The surname Bage is of English provenance. It is commonly interpreted as a topographic designation derived from the Old English word bæcg, meaning “back” or “ridge”. Such a name would have been applied to individuals residing near an identifiable hill or ridge, or possibly serving as a nickname for a person noted for a distinctive back or shoulder.
A second, equally credible derivation stems from Middle English bagge (1200–1500), a term for a bag or sack of uncertain origin. In this context, the surname may have been originally occupational, describing a maker or seller of bags, wallets, and purses. The alternation of spelling between “Bagge” and “Bage” is characteristic of medieval name recording practices.
The name also appears to possess a Germanic element. Records indicate the existence of the personal name Bac(c)o or Bahho, from the root bag meaning “to fight”. This personal name was present among the Normans in the form Bacus, with the oblique case Bacon. The name was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, and through Norman influence it entered the English onomastic landscape.
Documentary evidence of the surname shows its antiquity. The earliest confirmed spelling is that of William Bagge, dated to 1166, in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk during the reign of King Henry I, known as “The Builder of Churches” (1154‑1189). A later, more specific record is found in the London Church Registers, where a christening of Richard, son of William Bage was noted on 12 September 1559 at St. Dunstan in the East.
Heraldry associated with the Bage family includes a grant that describes the arms as “azure a griffin rampant ermine between three cinquefoils gold”. The crest is depicted as “a demi griffin ermine holding a cinquefoil stalk and leaves green.” This coat of arms has been recorded for the family in extant sources.
Variant forms of the surname Bage arise from regional pronunciation and spelling practices. The forms Bagge and Bagg are historically attested in England, while spellings such as Bag, Baige, and Beige appear occasionally due to transcription errors or dialectal influences. These variants are considered orthographic rather than distinct surnames.
In contemporary distribution, the surname remains chiefly British, with the largest concentration in Birmingham, England. Minor populations exist in Wales, the United States, and Canada. Its rarity is reflected in modern rankings, where it stands as approximately the 260,176th most common surname worldwide.
The surname has been documented in several English counties, notably Worcestershire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Derbyshire. Each locality’s record suggests that families bearing the name have owned estates or manors since the thirteenth century, underscoring the surname’s historical depth within the English landed classes.
Owing to the evolution of language and migration, the precise original meaning of the surname remains somewhat uncertain. Nonetheless, the converging evidence of topographic, occupational, and personal name origins provides a robust framework for understanding the heritage of the Bage surname.
Typical given names associated with the Bage surname
Male
- Andrew
- Chris
- David
- Ian
- John
- Kevin
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Steven
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Ann
- Elizabeth
- Joanne
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Natalie
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Bage in...
Braille
⠃⠁⠛⠑
Morse
-....---..
Semaphore
There are approximately 846 people named Bage in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,426th most common surname in Britain. Around 13 in a million people in Britain are named Bage.
Famous people named Bage
- Robert Bage - Writer (1730 to 1801)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.