Edrige Family Coat of Arms

As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Edrige has undergone many spelling variations including Edge, Edges, Edridge. Edrich, Edgerrin, Eldrige, Egge, Eadge, Eadges, Egg, Eage, Egges, Eggs and many more. First found in 9th century Scotland in the House of Alpin and the Kingdom of Alba where they held a family seat from ancient times. The original Edrige family would have lived on the edge of the sea, cliff, mountain side or hill and were described by the Saxon word “ecg” which meant “edge.” After the Norman invasion of England in 1066 the surname was usually spelled “Edge.”

A baptismal name meaning ‘the son of Edrige’, is a name of great antiquity. The name, of Scottish descent, is found in many ancient manuscripts in Scotland. To make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time; names were recorded in ancient documents. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their feudatory (in the feudal system) a person was granted the use of land, in return for rendering homage, fealty, and military service or its equivalent to a lord or other superior.

Thousands of years ago just the first name was used. The Normans introduced the original hereditary surnames derived from their French estates sometime around the 11th century. By the 15th century this naming convention spread throughout Europe. Surnames can be derived from place names and describe the individual who lived near a geographical feature such as a county, village, town, cliff or mountain. Character nicknames were derived from a physical feature such as clothing, flowers, animals, color, or even birds. Specialized occupations derived names for people from various trades. It was in these early years that the Coats of Arms were created. Knights were covered from head to toe with heavy armor and the only way of identification for their followers was the emblem on the shield and on the surcoat (A tunic worn in the Middle Ages by a knight over his armor). The surname for this coat of arms is from one of the very early protectors of land grants.

Edge Settlers in the United States in the 17th Century

Robert Edge who settled in Boston in 1635

Thomas Edge who brought his wife and family to Virginia in 1637

Tho Edge, who landed in Virginia in 1637

Henry Edge, who arrived in Virginia in 1658

Richard Edge, who landed in Maryland in 1660-1664

Edge Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century

Wm Edge, who landed in Virginia in 1705

John Edge, who landed in America in 1765

Edge Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century

A Edge, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851

C B Edge, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851

W L D Edge, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851

20th Century Surname Edge - United States

Walter Evans Edge (1873-1956), American politician, two-time Governor of New Jersey

Rosalie Barrow Edge (1877-1962), American environmentalist

Claude “Butch” Lee Edge (b. 1956), American Major League Baseball player

Andrew Edge (b. 1956), English guitarist and vocalist

Graeme Charles Edge (b. 1941), English musician, drummer and a songwriter for the Moody Blues

Lewis John Spencer Edge (b. 1987), English professional footballer

John T. Edge, American food writer and commentator

Carey May Edge (b. 1959), Irish retired long-distance runner

Arabella Edge, English writer and novelist, 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize winner

Raymond Edge, British Geodesist and Army Officer

Gabriel Edge, Montana, Scotland’s National Claymore Sword Champion, Founder of the Edge Foundation for exploring scientific, psychic and technology ideas. Best Selling Author of “Everybody’s Psychic Toolkit”.