Young History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Young

What does the name Young mean?

The name Young has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who was very young, from the Old English word yong and yung and was first bestowed on the younger of two bearers of the same personal name, usually a son who was named for his father.

Early Origins of the Young family

The surname Young was first found in Essex, where the first record of the name appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Wilfer seo lunga in 744. Many years later Walter Yonge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 1

Another reference lists Hugh le Yunge in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as residing in Oxfordshire. The same rolls list Ralph le Younge in Staffordshire and later William le Yunge in Northumberland during the reign of Edward I. 2

Down in Devon, Honiton was “for a long period it was very much of a family borough. Members of the Yonge family sat almost continuously from 1640 to 1796.” 3

Young Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Young have been found, including Young, Younge, Yonge, Youngson and others.

Early Notables of the Young family

Distinguished members of the family include

• Thomas Yonge (1405?-1476), was an English judge, born about 1405, the elder son of Thomas Yonge (d. 1426), who was Mayor of Bristol in 1411, and represented Bristol in parliament in 1413-1414.