Older History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Older surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived as tenants or occupiers of land. The surname Older originally derived from the Old English word Haldan. 1 Conversely, another source claims that the name was derived from the Old English word "h(e)aldan," meaning "to guard or keep." It is thought to have been an occupational name for a keeper of animals, but may also have been used in the sense of a holder of land within the Feudal System. 2

Early Origins of the Older family

The surname Older was first found in Gloucestershire and other counties and shires in Britain. One of the first records of the name was Robert le Holdere who was listed in Gloucestershire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1 2 The same rolls list Robert Holdere in Norfolk and Robert le Holdere in Cambridgeshire. 2

Early History of the Older family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Older research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1631, 1633, 1640, 1642, 1643, 1676 and 1698 are included under the topic Early Older History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Older Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Older include Holder, Holdere, Holders and others.

Early Notables of the Older family

Distinguished members of the family include

Christopher Holder (c. 1631-1676), an English Quaker minister from Gloucestershire who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony but was still persecuted for his beliefs before moving to Rhode Island
William Holder (1616-1698), was an English divine, born in Nottinghamshire in 1616. He matriculated at Cambridge as a scholar of Pembroke Hall on 4 July 1633, and after proceeding M.A. in 1640, was el...

Older migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3

Older Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Rich Older, aged 24, who arrived in St Christopher in 1635 4
Mr. Richard Older, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Paul of London" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Older (post 1700) +

Charles H. Older, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the American Volunteer Group, during World War II, credited with 18 aerial victories

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm