| ![Show Contents]() Orville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Orville is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Orville family lived in Oldfield, Cheshire. This is a topographical name whose derivation is just as it looks. The original bearer of the name Oldfield would have been distinguished by residence near to an old field. Individual cases of the name may also spring from residence in a place which bears the name Oldfield for the same reasons as above. 1 Early Origins of the Orville familyThe surname Orville was first found in Cheshire where "Guy de Provence, who came to this country [England] in the suite of Eleanor, on her marriage to King Henry III in 1236, married Alice, sister of Sir Patrick de Hartwell, and with her obtained the manor and lands of Oldfield, co. Chester. Their grandson, Richard, was the first who assumed the name De Oldfield." 2 Today, the hamlet of Oldfield is part of Gayton, a village in Wirral, Merseyside. Early rolls give us a glimpse at the many spellings in use over the years: Helyas de Aldeacris was listed as holding lands in Yorkshire in 1231; Agnes de Aldefeld was listed in Suffolk in 1221; Robert de la Aldfeld in Cambridgeshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279; and Adam del Oldfeld in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. 3 Early History of the Orville familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Orville research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1236, 1552, 1581, 1585, 1595, 1614, 1623, 1624, 1627, 1644, 1645, 1649, 1651, 1656, 1664, 1682, 1683, 1687, 1692, 1699, 1729, 1730, 1767, 1796 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Orville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Orville Spelling VariationsNorman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Oldfield, Oldefield, Oldfeild and others. Early Notables of the Orville familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Robert de Oldefelde of Oldfield; The Blessed Thomas Aufield (sometimes spelt Alfield) (1552-1585), an English Roman Catholic martyr, born in Gloucestershire, imprisoned and tortured in the Tower of London, beatified in 1929; Sir Samuel Owfield (1595-1644), an English politician...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Orville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Orville familyMany English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Orville or a variant listed above: John Oldfield arrived in Maryland in 1684; Eleanor Oldfield settled in Maryland in 1730; Rhodes Oldfield settled in Philadelphia in 1871.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Orville (post 1700) | + |
- Charles Orville Tapper (b. 1993), American football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets
- Tyrone Orville Lund (1938-2021), Canadian politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Rocky Mountain House (1989-2012)
- Dwayne Orville Andreas (1918-2016), American politician and businessman
- Herman Orville Welker (1906-1957), American politician, United States Senator from Idaho (1951-1957)
- Ernest Orville Vossler (b. 1928), American professional PGA golfer and later, golf course designer, inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame in 2005
- Norman Orville Scribner (1936-2015), American conductor, composer, pianist, and organist, founder of The Choral Arts Society of Washington
- William Orville DeWitt Sr. (1902-1982), longtime executive in Major League Baseball
- Joseph Orville Shelby (1830-1897), noted Confederate cavalry general
- William Orville Ayres (1817-1887), American physician and ichthyologist
- William Orville Douglas (1898-1980), American Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
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: In cruce vincam
Motto Translation: I shall conquer in the cross.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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