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Worden History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Worden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The surname Worden is thought to be derived from Warden, a parish in the union of Hexham, N. W. division of Tindale ward, in Northumberland. "This place derives its name, originally Wardon, from the remarkable don or hill under which the church and village are beautifully situated on the south-east, and on the rocky summit of which are vestiges of a circular British camp, subsequently occupied by the Romans, who raised additional works. Within the area of this encampment, the bases of buildings and several querns have been found; and not far from the vicarage-house are traces of a similar fort, most probably connected with the wall of Severus, near which the parish is situated. The manor and church, in 1298, belonged to the monks of Hexham, to whom they had been granted, according to the record, "from a time beyond all memory," by Adam de Tyndale." 1

Early written versions of the name tend to spell the name beginning with "Wer-," and as such the name is most likely derived from the Old English "wer," or weir, and "denu," which meant valley.

However, most sources note the occupational nature of the name as in from the Anglo-French word wardein, Old French gardein, guardian. 2 3 4 5

So as to prove this case, the longer form of the occupation as in 'churchwarden,' 'way-warden,' 'Lord-warden of the Cinque Ports,' are still in use. 4

Early Origins of the Worden family

The surname Worden was first found in Hertfordshire where the Saxon, Wluric Uuerdenus held lands before the taking of the Domesday Survey in 1086.

Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: William de Warden in Oxfordshire; Elyas Wardeden in Berkshire; and Walter Wardein in Oxfordshire. 6

Symon de Waredon was listed at Clerkenwell, Kent in 1232, and Elyas de Wardon was listed there in 1297. 5

Up in Scotland, the name is "more probably from Warden in Northumberland as the surname appears late with us. John Wardein was admitted burgess of Glasgow, 1627, as servitor to the marquis of Hamilton, and David Wardine was admitted burgess and guild brother, 1629." 7

Early History of the Worden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Worden research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1352, 1379, 1476, 1480, 1491, 1500, 1535, 1627, 1685 and 1698 are included under the topic Early Worden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Worden Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Worden, Wordene, Word, Werden, Warden and others.

Early Notables of the Worden family

Distinguished members of the family include Werric Werden, scion of the family, and Wynkyn de Worde (d. 1535), English printer of over 700 books. "His real name was Jan van Wynkyn ('de Worde' being merely a place name), and in the sacrist's rolls of Westminster Abbey from 1491 to 1500 he figures as Johannes Wynkyn. While still a young man he came over to England and...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Worden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Worden Ranking

In the United States, the name Worden is the 3,562^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 8

Worden migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Worden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Worden, aged 30, who arrived in New England in 1634
Isack Worden, aged 18, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase" 9
William Worden, who arrived in Virginia in 1661 9

Worden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Worden, who landed in Virginia in 1712 9

Worden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

P Worden, aged 27, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 9
J H Worden, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 9

Worden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Worden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Gabriel Worden U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 10
Mr. Jarvis Worden U.E. born in North Castle, New York, USA who settled in Greenwich, Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Mason 10
Mr. Jermiah Worden U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Bricklayer 10
Mr. John Worden U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 10

Worden Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Worden, recorded in the 1861 Census of Athol Township, Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada

Worden migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Worden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Worden, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Joseph Soames" 11
Thomas Worden, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Joseph Somes" in 1850 12
Thomas Worden, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Hooghly" 13

Worden migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Worden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Worden, aged 46, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 14
Elizabeth Worden, aged 44, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 14
Alice Worden, aged 19, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 14
Richard Worden, aged 17, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 14
Elizabeth Worden, aged 12, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Worden (post 1700) +

Alfred Merrill "Al" Worden (1932-2020), American astronaut, command module pilot for the Apollo 15 moon mission 15
Neil James Worden (b. 1931), former American NFL football fullback
Brigadier General Simon P. "Pete" Worden Ph.D. (b. 1949), American Director of NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC)
John Lorimer Worden (1818-1897), American Rear Admiral, commander of the USS Monitor in first battle of ironclad ships in 1862, eponym of Fort Worden, Washington and the three ships named USS Worden
Norton Earl "Hank" Worden (1901-1992), American cowboy who became an actor who appeared in many John Wayne films
Ken Worden (1943-2021), English-born football coach and a player from Preston Lancashire
Blair Worden, British historian, leading authority on the English Civil War era
Marc Worden (b. 1976), Canadian actor from Toronto, cast member on the Disney Channel's All New Mickey Mouse Club from 1990-1995
Harold Worden Wylie, American politician, Dry Candidate for Delegate to New York convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933 16
Worden E. Winne, American politician, Mayor of Freeport, New York, 1941-42 17

Historic Events for the Worden family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Francis James Worden, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 18

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Jane Worden, American 2nd Class passenger from Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
South Australian Register Wednesday 21st February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Rodney 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/rodney1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Alfred Worden. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/worden-am.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/