STANGER
The surname Stanger is an English family name that traces its origins to the British Isles. Its earliest attestations appear in medieval records of the county of Somerset, where an individual named Jordan de Stangar was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. This early example establishes the long-standing nature of the name within England.
From a linguistic standpoint, the name has at least two plausible derivations. In the north of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland, it is believed to derive from the Old Norse word stang, meaning a boundary marker. In this context the surname would have been applied to a person who lived at or near a prominent landmark that demarcated territorial limits, perhaps originally associated with the village of Stanghow in North Yorkshire. The placename itself is thought to translate as a boundary marker on the hill.
Conversely, in the southern parts of the country, the name is thought to have evolved from the Old English elements stan (stone or stony) and gara (a gore or triangular piece of land). This interpretation points to a locational origin, describing a person dwelling on stony or triangular ground. Examples of the surname in early parish records, such as the marriage of Ellen Stanger and William Alen in 1544 at St. Margaret’s church, Westminster, and the admission of Gawen Stanger to Oxford University in 1568, demonstrate the surname’s established use during the sixteenth century.
Throughout the centuries, the surname has appeared in a number of variant spellings, including Stangay, Stango, and Stangoe. These orthographic differences reflect the difficulties of standardised spelling in early English documents and the influence of regional dialects. Additional medieval entries include Thomas Stangoe, whose daughter Margaret was christened at Lythe in Yorkshire in 1655, and Robert Stango, who served as a witness in Whitby, North Yorkshire, in 1761.
In contemporary times the surname Stanger has continued to spread beyond the British Isles and can now be found in various English‑speaking nations. Its persistence as a hereditary surname across generations underscores its lasting cultural and genealogical significance within the English population and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the Stanger surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- William
Female
- Annette
- Carole
- Caroline
- Christine
- Diana
- Elizabeth
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Stanage
- Stagner
- Stancer
- Stager
- Stainger
- Stange
- Staner
- Stang
- Stanga
- Stangar
- Stangard
- Stangel
- Stangers
- Stanghorm
- Stangle
- Stangler
- Stangoe
- Stangor
- Stanker
- Stannage
- Stanser
- Steinger
- Steiniger
- Stengar
- Stenge
- Stengel
- Stenger
- Stengler
- Stinger
- Stonger
- Stunger
- Standinger
- Stangham
- Stanghan
- Stangl
- Stangley
- Stango
- Stangu
- Steingart
- Steninger
- Stingers
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Stanger in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 1,451 people named Stanger in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,486th most common surname in Britain. Around 22 in a million people in Britain are named Stanger.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Stanger
- Tony Stanger - Scottish rugby union player
- Kyle Stanger - Lawuer
- George Stanger -
- Henry Yorke Stanger - Politician (1849 to 1929)
- Ian Stanger - Scottish cricketer
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.