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Orange History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Orange History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Orange reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Orange family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Orange family lived in Buckinghamshire. The name, however, is a reference to Orange, in the department of Mayenne, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Another derivation of the name suggests that it originated as a nickname used to distinguish someone who was associated with the color orange, possibly through habitually dressing in the color. The two derivations are equally valid, but since time has obscured most records historians now disagree on which is appropriate in individual cases.

Eutropius of Orange (died 475) was Bishop of Orange, France, during the 5th century as was Saint Florentius of Orange, Bishop of the city of Orange in France around 517-524.

Early Origins of the Orange family

The surname Orange was first found in Buckinghamshire, where they were granted lands for assisting William the Conqueror. The name is derived from the place named Orange in the département of Mayenne. King William III of England, Prince of Orange has called historians attention to this area. William, Walter, Ralph and John Orenge were registered in Normandy between 1180 and 1195. 1 William de Orange held in Bedford 1165. 2

"A William de Orenge is a Domesday tenant in Buckinghamshire. Whence this 'William of Orange' came, I cannot guess; certainly not, I should say, from the district from which his great namesake, some six hundred years later, originally had his title, that being a small town and ancient principality in the South of France, about twenty miles from Avignon, and formerly a dependency of Holland." 3 4

In the singular form, the Curia Regis Rolls listed Orengia (1201) and Horenga (1204) in Oxfordshire. The Feet of Fines for Essex included Orenga in 1226 and later the Assize Rolls for Bedfordshire listed Orenge in 1247. Sibel and John Orenge were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and later, Alexander Orrynge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 5

Early History of the Orange family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Orange research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1296, 1327, 1480, 1504, 1510, 1515, 1529 and 1538 are included under the topic Early Orange History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Orange Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Orange, Orenge, Orringe and others.

Early Notables of the Orange family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William de Orenge, 11th century landholder.John Orenge (by 1480-1538 or later), of London, Exeter and Plymouth, Devon and Wimborne Minster, Dorset, was...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Orange Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Orange Ranking

In the United States, the name Orange is the 7,312^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Orange is ranked the 4,921^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 7

Orange migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Orange name or one of its variants:

Orange Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Sivillius Orange, who landed in Virginia in 1664 8

Orange Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Louiss Orange, who settled in Jamestown Virginia in 1700 with his wife and child
Louiss Orange, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1700 8
Henry Orange, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 8

Orange Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin and William Orange, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1820
Luis Orange, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1848 8

Orange migration to Australia +

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

Orange Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Orange, English Convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Elizabeth G. Orange, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "David McIvor"

Orange 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:

Orange Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

David Orange, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
William Orange, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
Albert Orange, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861

Contemporary Notables of the name Orange (post 1700) +

Linda Orange (1950-2019), American politician, Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives (1997-2019)
Vincent Orange (b. 1957), American politician
Rhasaan Orange (b. 1975), American actor
Leroy Orange (b. 1950), American citizen pardoned after wrongful murder conviction
James Orange (1942-2008), American civil rights activist
Robert Orange (1926-2007), Canadian politician and economist
Jason Orange (b. 1970), British singer and Take That member
Vincent Orange (b. 1935), British-born New Zealand historian, best known for his military biographies
Dame Claudia Joseph Orange DNZM, OBE (b. 1938), New Zealand historian
William Orange Forman (1886-1958), pitcher in Major League Baseball

Historic Events for the Orange family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. John Orange, Irish Fireman from Balbriggan, Dublin, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 10

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/