Southgate Family History

English (East Anglia and Essex): habitational name from either of two places in Norfolk called Southgate and perhaps also from Southgate in Edmonton (Middlesex) or from any number of minor localities so named either from Middle English south ‘south’ + gate (Old English geat) ‘gate’ or from Middle English south ‘south’ + gate (Old Norse gata) ‘street’.

In the case of the Middlesex placename, the village was situated near the southern entrance to a large enclosed medieval forest. Variant of Suggitt, a topographic name from Middle English south ‘south’ + gate ‘street’ (Old Norse gata) used for someone who lived on a street so named.