90,732 Global HODGE Family Members

HODGE Family History

Family spelling variants include Hodges, Hodgin.

There are approximately 90,732 Hodge family members around the world. In general you can double this figure to include those related to the Hodge names to allow for those connected to the name through maiden name connections.

It is estimated that the largest group of Hodge family members live USA with 65,553 (72.2%) members, England with 9,600 (10.6%), Australia with 7,743 (8.5%), Canada with 3,112 (3.4%), Scotland with 1,754 (1.9%), New Zealand with 1,321 (1.5%), South Africa with 712 (0.8%), Wales with 671 (0.7%) and Ireland with 266 (0.3%). 

Adopted from the Germanic 'Ro(d)ger', composed of the elements 'hrod', renown, and 'geri, gari', spear. The equivalent Old Norse name 'Hrodthgeirr' reinforced the form of the name in Normandy. The substitution of 'H' for 'R' as the initial in the English variants of 'Roger' reflect the difficulty encountered by English people in pronouncing the Norman (French) 'r' sound...

A short form of Roger, from the medieval personal name Hodge. A nickname from Middle English hodge ‘hog’, which occurs as a dialect variant of hogge. 

An English relationship name from the Middle English personal name Hogge, a rhyming pet form of Roger. Roger signifies quiet or strong counsel. 

The son of Hodge or Boger.

Early bearers of the surname include: William Hogge, 1297 in Earldom of Cornwall Accounts; Richard Hoge, 1332 in Subsidy Rolls (Sutton Prior, Plymouth, Devon); Nicholaus Hogge, 1379 in Poll Tax (Badby, Northants); Willelmus Hog, 1381 in Poll Tax (Ixworth Thorpe, Suffolk); John Hodge, 1539 in IGI (Saint Pinnock, Cornwall); Richard Hodge, 1542 in IGI (Saint Peter Cornhill, London); Joane Hodge, 1547 in IGI (Norwich, Norfolk); John Hodge, 1778 in IGI (Sudbury, Suffolk).

In 1891, there we 6,265 occurrences in England and Wales and a further 1,141 in Scotland. 

In 1881, the surname was particularly frequent in Norfolk and Suffolk. Further South West, Devon was a top county for the surname, especially Plymouth district with 175 occurrences.

In 1881, the most common Hodge occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer, along with Farmer and Labourer reported as the top 3 reported jobs worked by Hodge. A less common occupation for the Hodge family was Coal Miner. 

The noted, Frederick Webb Hodge (1864 – 1956) was an anthropologist, archaeologist, editor and historian. He was born in Plymouth, Devon and moved to Washington with his parents at 7 years old.

Another, Sue Hodge (b. 1957) is an English actress, best known for her role as the waitress Mimi Labonq in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!.

1881, 1891 Census

1881 Census in Devon

Dictionary of American Family Homes, P Hanks OUP 2003

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain, H.B. Guppy, London 1890

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, P.Hanks, Coats, McClure OUP 2016

1860 Lower, Mark A Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom, London: J.R Smith. Public Domain

1857 Arthur, William An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain

J.M.P