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Selden History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Selden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Selden comes from when the family resided in various places named Sheldon including Derbyshire, Devon, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The first portion of the surname Selden is derived from the Old English scylf meaning shelf. The second portion was originally derived from the Old English dun meaning hill. The surname simply referred to the hill with a flat top. 1

Early Origins of the Selden family

The surname Selden was first found in Worcestershire where "John Sheldon, of Abberton, in the reign of Henry IV" 2 is generally believed to be the progenitor. However, the Warwickshire "ancient house of Sheldon, of Sheldon is a matter of doubt, but not improbable. 2 For it is in Warwickshire that the family rose in prominence when William Sheldon purchased the manor of Beoly from Richard Neville in the reign of Edward IV. 2

The family held this estate as their principal seat until it was destroyed by a fire in the Civil Wars of the 17th century. "[Beoley, Worcestershire] belonged successively to the noble families of Mortimer, Beauchamp, and Holland, of whose ancient castle the mound and moat still remain; and in the reign of Charles I. the manor was the property of Ralph Sheldon, a distinguished royalist, whose mansion was burned by the family themselves, to prevent its falling into the possession of the parliamentarians. Attached to the church is the chapel of 'Our Lady,' formerly a private chapel of the Sheldon family, to whom it has a very handsome monument: underneath the chapel is the vault." 3

Over in the parish of Temple Grafton, another branch of the family was found. Originally held by Knights Templar (hence the prefix "Temple"), the property was purchased by the Sheldon family in the Dissolution of the Monasteries between 1536 and 1541 by Henry VIII. 3

The Selden, Seldin, Seldon and Seldom variants originate in Devon at Seldon in Hatherleigh or at Selden Farm in Patching Sussex. 4 West Tarring, Sussex is where the famous lawyer John Seldon (1584-1654) was born.

Early rolls give a glimpse of the many spelling in use over the years: Roger de Seldon was registered in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1196; William de Selkedon in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Robert Selden, Selkeden in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1525. 4

Early History of the Selden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selden research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1584, 1598, 1599, 1610, 1642, 1654, 1660, 1663, 1677 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Selden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selden Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Selden include Sheldon, Shelden, Seldin, Sheldyn, Sheltan and others.

Early Notables of the Selden family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Selden (1584-1654), an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution; Edward Sheldon (1599-1687), an English translator of Catholic works; and Gilbert Sheldon (1598-1677...

Selden Ranking

In the United States, the name Selden is the 15,053^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Selden family to Ireland

Some of the Selden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selden migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Selden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Selden, who landed in Hartford, Connecticut in 1636 6

Selden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Miles Selden, who arrived in Virginia in 1752 6
William Selden, who landed in Virginia in 1771 6

Selden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W Selden, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 6
Bella Selden, aged 28, who settled in America, in 1893
E. Selden, aged 39, who immigrated to America, in 1896
G. Selden, aged 9, who landed in America, in 1896

Selden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Arthur T. Selden, aged 41, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
Florence Selden, who settled in America, in 1907
Eleanor Selden, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
Cornelia E. Selden, aged 33, who landed in America, in 1909
George Selden, aged 4, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Selden (post 1700) +

Henry Rogers Selden (1805-1885), American lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858, eponym of Fort Selden, a US Cavalry fort near Las Cruces, New Mexico
Dixie Selden (1868-1935), American artist
Samuel Lee Selden (1800-1876), American lawyer and politician from New York, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1862
William Selden (1791-1874), Treasurer of the United States (1839 to 1850)
Armistead Inge Selden Jr. (1921-1985), American politician, U.S. Representative from Alabama
Dudley Selden (1794-1855), American lawyer and politician from New York
Henry Rogers Selden (1805-1885), American lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858
George B. Selden (1846-1922), American patent lawyer and inventor who was granted a U.S. patent for an automobile in 1895, founder of The Selden Motor Vehicle Company (1905)
Dudley Selden (d. 1855), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1831; U.S. Representative from New York 3rd District, 1833-34; Delegate to Whig National Convention from New York, 1839 7
Charles Selden, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County, 1803-04; Member of New York State Senate Eastern District, 1807-15 7
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Selden Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Optimum pati
Motto Translation: To suffer is best.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html