Egre

Recorded in a number of spellings including Eagar, Eggar, Egar, Egre, Eggre, and Egyr, this is an English medieval surname. It derives from the Olde English pre 7th century male personal name "Eadgar". This is composed of the elements "ead", meaning prosperity, with "gar", a spear, and the first element was a distinguishing mark of the royal house of Wessex. Eadgar (944 - 975), the grandson of Alfred, was one of the most successful kings of that house, and his name became a favourite among the English, and survived the Norman Conquest, unlike many native English given names. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Edgar" and "Etgar", and appears in Suffolk as "Aedgar" (1095), and "Adger" (1182). The personal name was also found early in Scotland, where the first of the name recorded is Eadgar, King of the Scots, who reigned from 1097 - 1100. The surname was established there by the early 14th Century, when Richard Edgar of Wedderbie was a witness at the second marriage of King Robert Bruce (1306 - 1329). Recordings of the surname from surviving church registers include that of the marriage of James Edgar and Joane Watson at St. Giles' Cripplegate, on August 14th 1605, whilst William Egre was christened at St Luke's Chelsea on April 23rd 1620. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Edgar. This was dated 1250, in the Book of Fees of the county of Surrey, during the reign of King Henry 111rd of England, 1216 - 1272. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.