Gogay Genealogy and Gogay Family History Information

Gogay This interesting and unusual surname, recorded in English church registers under the variant spellings Gogie, Gogay, Goggey, Gegay, Geggie etc., and in Scotland as Gogy and Gugy, is a diminutive from the Old French "gogue", enjoyment, relaxation, and was originally given as a nickname to one of easy-going temperament. The surname was first recorded in Scotland in the early part of the 14th Century, (see below). One John Gugy, noted in "The Register of Sancto Marie de Neubotle", was abbot of that abbey between 1402 and 1409. On August 7th 1614, Daniel, son of Pierre Gogie and Anne Tiberghien, was christened in the French Huguenot Church, Threadneedle Street, London, indicating that, in some instances, namebearers are of Huguenot extraction. On March 16th 1747, James Gagie, an infant, was christened in Embleton, Northumberland, and on May 15th 1808, the christening of one, David Gagie took place in Carham, Northumberland. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Gogy, provost of Inverkethyn, which was dated 1330, in the "Exchequer Rolls of Scotland", during the reign of King David 11 of Scotland, 1329 - 1371. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Hunt This ancient surname is of pre 7th century English origins. It is usually an occupational surname for one who hunted wildlife for a living. In the Middle Ages the term "hunter" was an official title, and there were different categories from game hunters on foot to the mounted huntsmen, who pursued stags and wild boar. The penalty for hunting without permission in the royal parks, could be death. The word "Hunta" was sometimes used as a personal name. It appears in the placenames "Huntingdon" and "Huntingfield". These translate as "Hunta's Hill" and "the land of the Hunta people". Amongst the interesting surname recordings over the centuries, is that of Leonard Hunt, who was one of the earliest emigrants to the new Virginia colony. He embarked from London, England, on the ship "Mathew" on May 15th 1635. Examples of notable namebearers listed in the "Dictionary of National Biography for Great Britain" include Roger Hunt, the Speaker of the House of Commons in 1433, Sir John Hunt, knighted by King James 1st in 1611, and James Henry Leigh Hunt, who first published the works of Keats and Shelley in 1816. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Humphrey le Hunte. This was dated 1203, in the charter rolls of the county of Sussex, during the reign of King John of England, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216.