Origins and migrations of Sugg families in England |
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Beginnings - what’s in the name?'Sugg’ is in origin a Saxon word – apparently meaning either a ‘sow’[i] or a ‘sparrow’. It was probably a nickname originally referring to particularly notable physical or behavioural characteristics. The first Sugg may have had an annoying habit of always grabbing the largest chunk of meat or perhaps had a strange way of walking! The name
would have initially been attributed to an individual and only later to members of his or her family. Surnames as such – a name permanently associated with every member of a family and passed on to subsequent generations – did not come
into general use in England until the 13th or 14th century. However, some way of distinguishing between different individuals with the same forename was necessary long before this. The variations Sug, Sugge, Suggs, Sugden, Suag, Suge,
Sudge, Zugg, Sage and others may well come from the same source. Sug and Sugge were the most common in early days but were rarely used after the 16th century when Sugg became the usual form.
The noun ‘sugg’ appears in title deeds from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and is applied to areas of marshy (soggy) land[ii]. The associated verb ‘to sug’ is used during the same period meaning ‘to soak in water’. Izaac Walton[iii] writing in 1653 also refers to ‘sugs or trout lice’ attached to fish. The origins of these words are not known. They may or may not have had a Saxon background but their use is more widespread than the surname and this would suggest an alternative derivation. They are not generally considered to be the principal source of the name[iv]. No information about the Sugg family is available earlier than the 15th century when references to the name are found in wills, probate records and church warden’s accounts in Suffolk. Parish registers from the 16th and 17th centuries indicate that Suggs were then also living in Hampshire, London, and in significant numbers in Somerset and Dorset. Few early records have been found which relate to Suggs in other parts of the country. Before the construction of the railways and safe and adequate roads, travelling was difficult and sometimes dangerous. Few people moved very far from their birthplace and it is reasonable to suppose that Suggs had settled much earlier in these same areas, in all of which the Saxons are known to have lived. An exception to this might be London which has always attracted migrants from other parts of the country. In the 1881 census there were 304 Suggs recorded in the country as a whole rising to 379 in 1891 and to 436 in 1901 – reflecting the overall increase in the population of the country. In 2002 the National Health Service had registered 497 Suggs. Some are still to be found in the Somerset region and many live in and around London. A small number live in Hampshire and others are scattered thinly throughout the country as a whole. The surname is still to be found in Germany, Switzerland and other European countries.
[i] The female of the wild boar rather than of the domesticated pig [ii] The phrase ‘Upper Close of Pierce Sugg (6a) in Butleigh Wooton’ is used in a 1651 deed included in The Butleigh Court Papers (Somerset Records Office). The ‘Little Sugg Meade’ is referred to in a 1710 deed from Stoke Mandeville (Buckinghamshire ) [iii] Izaac Walton – The Complete Angler - 1653 [iv] Definitions in this paragraph taken from The Shorter Oxford Dictionary |
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