Dagnan - Name

Widely recorded in a number of spellings including Dagg, the diminutive Daggett, the occupational Dagger, Daggar, Daggers, the French Dagon, Dagoneau and Dagonet and transpositions such as Dagnan and Dagnon, it can be described as Anglo-French and possibly with a little Danish-Viking as well! It is one of the most unusual and interesting surnames on record. In the south of England and France it is generally accepted as deriving from the Old French word "dague", meaning a dagger, and as such was a Norman introduction into England after the 1066 Conquest. The surname is a medieval metonymic, either for one who habitually carried a dagger, or who was a manufacturer of such weapons. As the carrying of any arms was illegal, it is probable that the original nameholders, if not makers, were part of an official guard or even professional assassins! The surname as Dag and Daggett was prominent in Yorkshire in medieval times, where it has been suggested that it may derive from the Viking word "dag", meaning "day", and in itself an early personal name. The earliest examples of of the surname recordings include: William Dagenet of Warwickshire in the year 1210, Henry Daget of Yorkshire in the Pipe Rolls of that county in 1219, and Ralph Dagg, in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of the county of Essex. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of John Dagenet in the register of the Knight Templars (Crusaders) for the county of Hertfordshire. This was dated 1185, during the reign of King Henry 11nd, known as "The church builder", 1154 - 1189. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.