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Arden History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Arden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Arden surname lived in Ardern in the county of Warwick. The interpretation of the name, however, varies depending on the county of origin. In Cheshire, Kent and Hampshire, the name assumes the local meaning of dwelling-house, and in Yorkshire, it has the curious meaning of eagle valley or gravel valley.

Early Origins of the Arden family

The surname Arden was first found in the county of Warwickshire, from very ancient times, when Hugh de Arden recovered some of his family's lost estates after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Henry de Arden, his successor, about 1130 A.D. held five knights' fees from the Norman Earl of Warwick. This line can be traced to the present family seat at Longcroft Hall in Staffordshire.

"No family can claim a more noble origin that the house of Ardern, descended in the male line from the Saxon Earls of Warwick before the Conquest. The name of Arden was assumed from the Woodlands of Arden, in the North of Warwickshire, by Siward de Arden, in the reign of Henry I." 1

"The priory of Shulbrede, about half a mile from the church, in a sequestered spot, was founded by Ralph de Arderne, about the beginning of the reign of Henry III., for five canons of the order of St. Augustine." 2

John Arderne (1307-1392) was arguably England's first surgeon and one of the first of his time to devise workable cures. He hailed from Newark-on-Trent, Nottingham but moved to London where he is thought to have been admitted as a member of the Guild of Surgeons.

Early History of the Arden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arden research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1392, 1452, 1523, 1537, 1542, 1545, 1558, 1563, 1570, 1583, 1608, 1636, 1691 and 1843 are included under the topic Early Arden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arden Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Arden are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Arden include: Ardern, Arden, Arderne, Adron, Harden, Ardin and many more.

Early Notables of the Arden family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Arderne (1307-1392), an English surgeon and one of the first of his time to devise workable cures. Some describe him as England's first surgeon. Robert Arden was executed in 1452 for supporting t...
Edward Arden (1542?-1583), was an English nobleman and head of the Arden family, became a Catholic martyr upon his execution. He "was a probably innocent victim of the rigorous severity adopted by the...
Mary Arden, (c. 1537-1608), was the mother of William Shakespeare; Lawrence Ardren, Ardran or Ardern (c.1523-1570), of Chichester, Sussex, was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Chicheste...

Arden Ranking

In the United States, the name Arden is the 11,920^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Arden migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Arden or a variant listed above:

Arden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hen Arden, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 4
Henry Arden, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4
Robert Arden, who settled in Virginia in 1638
Robert Arden, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 4
Robert Arden, who landed in Virginia in 1642 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Arden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

German Arden, who arrived in New York in 1796 4
John Arden, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 4

Arden migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Arden Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Susan Arden, aged 15, who landed in Barbados in 1684 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Arden (post 1700) +

John R. Arden, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1st District, 1988, 1990 6
Hunter Arden, American politician, Independent Candidate for Presidential Elector for Alabama, 2008 6
Edwin Hunter Pendleton Arden (1864-1918), American actor, theatre manager, and playwright
Mark Arden (b. 1956), English comedian and actor
John Arden (b. 1930), award-winning English playwright
Mr. Roger Hollins Arden M.B.E. (b. 1945), appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to the community in Liverpool 7
Eve Arden (1908-1990), born Eunice M. Quedens, American Academy Award nominated actress, best known high school teacher in the classic Our Miss Brooks (radio and television)
Tom Arden (1961-2015), pen name of David Rain, Australian-born, British science fiction and fantasy writer, best known for his Orokon five volume saga
The Rt Hon. Lady Mary Howarth Arden DBE (b. 1947), Baroness Mance, British judge
Richard Pepper Arden PC, KC (1744-1804), 1st Baron Alvanley, British barrister and politician
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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.
"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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists