PAGET
Paget is a surname of Anglo‑French origin that has been documented in the British Isles since the eleventh century. Its derivation is contested but is generally traced to two linguistic roots: the Old French word page, denoting a young servant or attendant, and the Old Norse personal name Paget, meaning “little page.” Both roots point to an occupational or descriptive origin and are reflected in the surname’s many recorded variants.
The earliest use of the name in England appears in the early fourteenth century. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex record a William Paget in 1327, a period that precedes the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. In the same era the name is found in Devonshire, where a Ralph Page is noted in the Pipe Rolls of 1230, and in Colchester where a John Paget is mentioned in 1359. The variation Padgett emerges in the early fourteenth century, with a Jone Padgett christened in London in 1569. By the late sixteenth century the spelling Pagett is also common.
As English society evolved, the Paget family rose to prominence. William Paget, born in 1506, acquired substantial estates during the dissolution of the monasteries and later served the crown. The family was granted the title Earl of Uxbridge in 1714, a rank that placed the surname among the nobiliary class of England. The very first recorded spelling, according to the subsidy rolls, confirms the continuity of the name from the early fourteenth to the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The family’s heraldic bearings are described as a black shield (sable) bearing a silver cross engrailed. In the dexter quarter, a silver escallop is displayed. These arms have been associated with the name in several official armorial rolls and continue to be reproduced by heraldic authorities for extant members of the family.
Geographically, the surname Paget is most frequent in England, especially in the North West where it first appeared. Significant concentrations also exist in Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. Outside the United Kingdom, the name is mainly found in former French dominions, such as Quebec and New Brunswick in Canada, as well as scattered communities in the United States, South‑East Asia and Australia. In England the name remains one of the more common surnames, with a population of over eleven thousand bearers recorded in recent censuses.
Paget has produced several notable figures. Sir James Paget, a prominent British physician, was the eponym of Paget’s disease of bone, a condition still recognised in contemporary medicine. Debra Paget, a British actress of the 1950s and 1960s, has also carried the name to fame in the performing arts. The surname has also been borne by British politicians, clergy and military officers, reflecting its broad integration into British society.
The variants Page, Pagett, Pagot and Padgett are all recognised forms of the same patronymic lineage, each employed according to regional spelling conventions and personal preference. While some records distinguish them by class or status, modern scholarship regards them as interchangeable for genealogical purposes. No credible evidence suggests derivation from the Welsh ap Gwyddel or from the French paget meaning merely “page.” The surname’s origins remain firmly rooted in its Old French and Old Norse antecedents, and its endurance in the British Isles attests to its historical significance.
Typical given names associated with the Paget surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Nigel
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Carol
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Joanne
- Julie
- Kathleen
- Mary
- Nicola
- Sarah
- 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 Paget in...
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There are approximately 3,155 people named Paget in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,861st most common surname in Britain. Around 48 in a million people in Britain are named Paget.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Paget
- Lord Alfred Paget - Politician (1816 to 1888)
- Michael Paget - Musician
- Henry Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey - Peer, writer (1922 to 2013)
- Bernard Paget - Army general (1887 to 1961)
- Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey - Writer (1924 to 2017)
- James Paget - Scientist (1814 to 1899)
- Arthur Paget - Army general (1851 to 1928)
- Reginald Paget, Baron Paget of Northampton - Politician (1908 to 1990)
- Almeric Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough - Politician (1861 to 1949)
- Humphrey Paget - Engraver (1893 to 1974)
- Sir Richard Paget, 2nd Baronet - Barrister and amateur scientific investigator (1869 to 1955)
- Rosalind Paget - Nursing administrator, midwife (1855 to 1948)
- Charles Paget, 6th Marquess of Anglesey - Politician (1885 to 1947)
- Ralph Paget - Leading British Diplomat in the Edwardian Era (1864 to 1940)
- Guy Paget - Politician (1886 to 1952)
- Julian Paget - (1921 to 2016)
- Francis Paget - Bishop (1851 to 1911)
- Walter Paget - Australian farmer and politician (1854 to 1930)
- Tommy Paget - Football player (1909 to 1)
- John Paget - Writer (1808 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.