Today's generation of the Ortis family bears a name that was brought to England by the wave of emigration that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old English given name Aldus. Ald, the first part of the name, means old.
The surname Ortis was first found in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire in the south east of England, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Soon after, Rudolphus Aldous was recorded in Yorkshire in 1168 as holding considerable estates and lands, and Robert Aldous was recorded in Norfolk in 1230.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ortis research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1284 is included under the topic Early Ortis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Ortis have been found, including Aldis, Aldous, Aldhouse, Aldus, Aldiss, Oldis and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Ortis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Ortis were among those contributors: