Show ContentsOrden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Orden family

The surname Orden was first found in Cheshire, where John Hordwyne was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1260. 1 The family claim descent from Horderne, "a manor in the township of Rainow, in the parish of Prestbury, Cheshire. All the Hordernes of this and neighbouring districts hail from this spot." 2

East Cheshire records show John de Horderne in Cheshire in 1273 and Edmund Hordron in 1460. Hodgson's History of Northumberland included Robert filius Hodierne, 1196. 2

In Scotland, "Johan de Horredene of Lanarkshire rendered homage [to King Edward I of England] in 1296. John of Hordene, a Scot, had a safe conduct into England, 1408." 3

Early History of the Orden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Orden research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1050, 1273, 1593, 1604, 1695 and 1696 are included under the topic Early Orden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Orden Spelling Variations

The name Orden, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Hordern, Horden, Hordin, Hordon, Hordeyne, Hordiene, Hordierne, Orden and many more.

Early Notables of the Orden family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Hildebrand Horden (died 1696), of Twickenham, near London, a prominent 17th century actor and writer...
  • Horden of Twickenham, received a liberal education, and in 1695-1696 was a member of the company holding possession of Drury Lane and Dorset Garden4...


Orden migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Orden family, or who bore a variation of the surname Orden were

Orden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Cristobal Del Orden, who landed in Florida in 1838 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Orden (post 1700) +

  • W. T. B. Van Orden, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1912 6
  • Peter S. Van Orden, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rockland County, 1809-15, 1824 6
  • Hezekiah Van Orden, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Albany County, 1787-88 6
  • Abraham Van Orden, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 7th District, 1849 6
  • Mr. Geoffrey Charles Van Orden C.B.E., M.B.E. M.E.P., (b. 1945), born in Waterlooville, Hampshire, England, English politician and British Army Brigadier, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for political service by Her Majesty The Queen 7


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. 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)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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