Folden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Folden

What does the name Folden mean?

The ancestors of the Folden surname are thought to have lived in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name Folden was given to someone who lived in the shires of Ayr, Renfrew, Lanark, and Perth, (now part of the Strathclyde region), and there were also lands of East and West Faulds in the lordship of Dudop or Dudhope near Dundee. 1

The surname Faulds is also derived from the Old English word falod, or fold, which indicates that the original bearer of this surname lived by or near an enclosure where cattle were kept. Faulds was also an occupational name for one who worked at the sheep-fold, or for a person who was a shepherd. There is also a place-name Folds in an ancient parish in Bolton, county Lancashire, England. 2

Early Origins of the Folden family

The surname Folden was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

One of the first records of the family is John of Fawls of Leith who imported salmon into London in 1438. Later, Arthur Fauldis held land in Glasgow, 1536, and Archibald Faullis was merchant burgess there, 1642. 1

Early History of the Folden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Folden research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1438, 1536, 1642, 1666, 1672, 1674 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Folden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Folden Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Folden has appeared as Faulds, Fawls, Fauldis, Fauls and others.

Early Notables of the Folden family

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

Folden Ranking

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

Migration of the Folden family to Ireland

Some of the Folden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Folden migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

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

The Folden Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Mente manuque praesto
Motto Translation: Ready with heart and hand.

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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