Scoggins

This most unusual name is of Old Scandinavian origin, and is one of the patronymic forms of the surname Scog(g)in, itself a diminutive of Scoggor Skogg, which represents a rare survival of the Old Norse and Old Danish byname "Skeggi, Skoggi", meaning "the bearded one". The surname is found mainly in those areas of Britain that were invaded and subsequently settled by Scandinavian peoples in the 8th and 9th Centuries; the east coast, northern and north western counties. There are a number of modern forms of the name, ranging from Scog(g)an, Scog(g)in and Skog(g)in to the patronymics, often with an excrescent final "g", Scog(g)in(g)s, Skog(g)in(g)s and Scog(g)ans. Examples of the name from various Church Registers include: William Skoggen (London, 1550); Edward Scogin (Suffolk, 1554); Charles Scoggan (Yorkshire, 1562); and Robert Skoggin (Durham, 1594). The marriage of Thomas Scogings and Hannah Evans was recorded in Little Staughton, Bedfordshire, on December 31st 1805. The Coat of Arms most associated with the name depicts a gold fess dancettee between three gold curlews on a blue shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Scogan, which was dated 1357, in "Medieval Records of Norfolk", during the reign of King Edward 111, known as "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. 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.