This interesting name, with variant spellings Sanger, Sangar, Sangster, Songster etc., is of English occupational origin from the Old English pre seventh Century "sangere", "songere", singer, a name for singer or chorister or may be a nickname for a person who was always singing. In some cases the name may be an Ashkenazic occupational name for a cantor from the Germanic element "sanger", a singer. The surname itself first appears in records in the late 13th Century, (see below). One Richard le Sangere and Richard le Songer were recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex in 1327. The London Church Registers record the following entries of the name; Dorathie Songer married one Frannc Payment at St. Mary at Hill, on September 22nd 1562; and the christening of Mary Sounger, daughter of James and Rachel Sounger at St. Katherine Creechurch on August 16th 1672. At Westmull, Hertfordshire John Sangste married Elizabeth Blacke on October 8th 1806, while at Digswell, Hertfordshire, Charlotte Sophia, daughter of Peter and Ann Songster was christened on December 3rd 1848. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John le Songere, which was dated 1296, Medieval English Occupational terms (Hertfordshire), during the reign of King Edward 1, "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.

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