Ainge

This very unusual surname is a variant of the medieval Germanic personal name "Ansger", which is composed of the elements "Ans" meaning "God", and "-ger" or "-gar" meaning "spear". The personal name became "Anger" and "Anguier" in France, and was introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066, where it became "Angier, Aynger(r), Ainge(r)" and "Aunger". The first recording of the personal name is that of Angerus de Middelton, in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk of 1191. The first recording of the surname spelt in its modern form of either Aynge or Ainge is that of one George Aynge, who was christened in London in 1605, and slightly later that of Anne Ainge, who was christened in Bishopsgate, London, on August 11th 1633. Charles, son of John and Sarah Ainge, was christened at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, London, on May 12th 1646, and on April 4th 1700, Susannah Clark married John Ainch at All Saints, Wandsworth, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Willelmus Angeri, which was dated 1197, in the "Pipe Roll of Warwickshire", during the reign of Richard 1, known as "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. 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.