GAGE
Gage is a surname of Anglo‑French and Norse provenance that has been recorded in the British Isles since the early thirteenth century. The earliest surviving instance of the name is Alice Gage, dated 1310, in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester, Essex, during the reign of King Edward I.
The name is believed to derive from the Middle English word gage, which denoted a pledge or a measure of land. In medieval contexts, it was common for landlords to demand a gage from tenants as assurance of their fealty and duties. Consequently, the surname may have been applied to individuals who acted as pledges or guarantors, or to those who had a professional role as moneylenders or usurers, roles that were often associated with the word in Old French as well.
An alternative line of derivation is from the Old Norse word gagi, meaning a top or a peak. In this sense, the surname could have functioned as a locational identifier for a person dwelling near a prominent hill or ridge. The duality of the name’s etymology illustrates the linguistic amalgamation that characterised post‑1066 England, when Norman French and Anglo‑Saxon tongues intersected.
In the Norman period, the surname appears in forms such as Gage, Guage, Gages, and Gaiger, all of which are thought to be metonymic occupational names for assayers or measurers in the administration of weights and measures. The Old French and Middle English sources record the term gage both as a measure and as a pledge, with the two senses considered distinct by contemporary scholars. Thus, the surname Gage may also have identified individuals engaged in the adjudication of weights or the assessment of taxes.
Geographically, the name has been concentrated in south‑eastern England and East Anglia, and has spread to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, particularly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In modern times, although it retains a significant presence in the United States, the surname is comparatively uncommon in England.
Typical given names associated with the Gage surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Gillian
- Linda
- Louise
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
- Agge
- Cadge
- Cage
- Caja
- Cajee
- Cajiao
- Codge
- Cogie
- Cudge
- Gaag
- Gadge
- Gae
- Gag
- Gaga
- Gagea
- Gagel
- Gagen
- Gager
- Gages
- Gagg
- Gaggs
- Gagie
- Gago
- Gagoo
- Gags
- Gagui
- Gaig
- Gaige
- Gaj
- Gaja
- Gaji
- Gajia
- Gajo
- Gaudge
- Gauge
- Gauja
- Gedge
- Ghadge
- Ghag
- Ghigi
- Godge
- Gogi
- Gogia
- Goj
- Goja
- Goodge
- Googe
- Goudge
- Gouge
- Guage
- Gudge
- Guge
- Guja
- Kaegi
- Kage
- Kagi
- Kagia
- Kagie
- Kaja
- Kajee
- Kaji
- Kajo
- Kaju
- Kajue
- Kauji
- Kedge
- Kege
- Kegie
- Keij
- Keji
- Kejiou
- Kidge
- Kigie
- Kij
- Kijo
- Kogi
- Kogie
- Koigi
- Koj
- Koja
- Koji
- Kojo
- Kooij
- Kuge
- Kuji
- Kuju
- Queja
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Gage in...
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There are approximately 2,613 people named Gage in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,405th most common surname in Britain. Around 40 in a million people in Britain are named Gage.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Gage
- Phineas Gage - American railroad construction foreman and subject of landmark medical case (1823 to 1860)
- Ryan Gage - Actor
- Pete Gage - Guitarist and record producer
- Kevin Gage - Football player
- Pete Gage - Vocalist
- Patricia Gage - Actress and voice actress (1940 to 2010)
- John Gage - Courtier during the Tudor period (1479 to 1556)
- Larry Gage - Football player (1922 to 1996)
- William Gage - Judge
- Andrew Thomas Gage - Botanist (1871 to 1945)
- Conolly Gage - Politician (1905 to 1984)
- William Hall Gage - Second Sea Lord in the British Navy (1777 to 1864)
- Catherine Gage - Irish botanist (1815 to 1892)
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.