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![Show Contents]() Okenden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Okenden surname is thought to be a habitational name derived from any of several place names, such as Oxenden in Kent. These place names come from the Old English local description of the "valley of the oxen." Early Origins of the Okenden familyThe surname Okenden was first found in Kent where they held a family seat. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1170 in Essex but Ailric Ockenden is thought to have been a branches of the old baronial family of Oxenden in Kent. Early History of the Okenden familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Okenden research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1455, 1487, 1607, 1614, 1620, 1645, 1651, 1660, 1661, 1669, 1686 and 1703 are included under the topic Early Okenden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Okenden Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Okenden family name include Oxenden, Ockenden, Okenden, Okendon, Oxendon, Oxenford, Wokenden, Ockendon and many more. Early Notables of the Okenden familyDistinguished members of the family include Sir Solomon Oxenden of Kent; Sir James Oxenden; and his son, Sir Henry Oxenden, 1st Baronet (1614-1686), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Winchelsea (1645); and his...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Okenden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Okenden familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Okenden surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Nelson Ockenden, who was on record in Oregon in 1850; as well as William Ockenden, who came to California in 1884.
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