Osgar

This interesting and unusual name has the distinction of retaining its original form from the pre 7th Century to the present time. Its origins lie in the old English male given name Osgar, a compound of the elements "os" meaning "god", plus "gar", a spear; hence "god-spear". One, Osgarus de Bedeford was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Bedfordshire. The surname from this source first appears at the end of the 12th Century, (see below), and a William Hosker was recorded in the 1375 "Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester". The addition in English of an inorganic "h" to names beginning with a vowel is a common phenomenon from early times as the above recordings indicate. An interesting bearer of the personal name was Osgar, abbot of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, 963 - 984, who brought the Benedictine ruk from Fleury. He died in the year 984. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Hoseger, witness, which was dated 1199, "The Fine Court Rolls of Rutland", during the reign of King Richard 1, "Richard 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.