Orchardson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Orchardson surname is derived form the Old English word "ortgeard," or "orceard," a compound of "wort," or "plant," and "geard," meaning "yard." It is thought to have originally been a topographic name for someone who lived by an orchard, or perhaps an occupational name for a fruit grower. There were also several places named Orchard, such as those in Devon and Somerset, and the surname may have been taken on from a place name.

Early Origins of the Orchardson family

The surname Orchardson was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Hartland Abbey in that shire.

"The barton, [of Mitchell-Morton, in the parish of Launcelles, Cornwall] belonged for many years to the Orchard family, is now vested in the Rev. Thomas H. Morrison, as devisee of the late Paul Orchard, Esq." 1

Although the origin of this name may seem obvious to most, the real source lies far from fruit trees. Far to the north, the Urquharts were hereditary Sheriffs of Cromarty. This difficult Gaelic name posed problems for even the Scottish tongue.

In Loch Ness, Scotland, their seat, they were frequently called Orchar or Orchard. Hence, the name Orchard earned the right to be a sept of the great Clan Urquhart. In the 14th century it is generally believed that a branch of this clan moved south to Devon and became seated at Hartland Abbey.

Early History of the Orchardson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Orchardson research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1410, 1468, 1504 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Orchardson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Orchardson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Orchard, Orchar, Orcher, Orcutt, Orcherd, Augher and others.

Early Notables of the Orchardson family

More information is included under the topic Early Orchardson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Orchardson family to Ireland

Some of the Orchardson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Orchardson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Orchardson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abram Orchardson, who arrived in New York in 1851 2

Citations +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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)