Savage Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Savage Family History

Savage Family History

The family history of the ancient name Savage was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Meaning 'the savage', the name Savage is a nickname for a wild person. Variants include Sauvage, Salvage, Savidge and Savege. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout these countries. Examples of such are a Walter Salvage, County Oxfordshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and a Beatrix Sawage who was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. In Scotland a John Sauage was a witness in the year 1222, and a James Seavage was married in Edinburgh in the year 1629. In Ireland the majority of Savages are in Ulster where the great County Down 'Savage of Ards' family was planted there by de Courcy in 1177. Descendants of these families became hibernicized and fought against subsequent invasions. The Gaelic form of the name is 'Mac an tSabhaisigh'. The Savage family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Savage descendants.