Folden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Anglo-Saxon name Folden comes from when the family resided in the region beside an enclosed pen for animals. The surname Foulds or Faulds is derived from the hamlet of Folds in the parish of Bolton in the northern county of Lancashire. That town's name, in turn, is derived from the ancient term "fold" meaning a sheep enclosure. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been denoted for a ‘Worker at the fold(s) or cattle-pen(s)’, from the Old English ƒalod, later f?ld, Middle English fold. 2

"Foulds is a Lancashire surname, so that we need not be surprised by the pronunciation. " 1

Early Origins of the Folden family

The surname Folden was first found in Yorkshire where Hugh del Foldis was listed at Wakefield in 1275. Later, Adam in le Fold was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327 and John atte Fold was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. The Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire include a listing for Adam de Falde in 1332 and in the same year, John del ffald was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cumberland (Cumbria). 2

Early History of the Folden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Folden research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1530 and 1597 are included under the topic Early Folden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Folden Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Folden has been recorded under many different variations, including Foulds, Faulds, Fowlds, Foulls, Faulls, Fowldes and many more.

Early Notables of the Folden family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Folden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Folden Ranking

In the United States, the name Folden is the 14,633^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Folden migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Folden or a variant listed above:

Folden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jose Folden, aged 27, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1848 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Folden (post 1700) +

Don Folden Sr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Washington, District of Columbia, 1994 5

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html