Worthen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Worthen family

The surname Worthen was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Wortham from ancient times. 1

Wortham is also a village and parish in Suffolk which dates back to Edward the Confessor. Worsham is a hamlet in Oxfordshire which dates back hundreds of years. Worthen is a village in Shropshire. "In this and the neighbouring parishes is a very singular ridge of stones termed Stiperstones, extending several miles towards Shrewsbury, and said to be the ancient boundary between England and Wales. " 2

The place names are derived from the "residence at an enclosure or homestead, Old English worþign, a term particularly common in the West Midlands." 1

Early rolls included entries for Richard de Worthin in the Hundredorum Rolls for Shropshire in 1274; Richard atte Wonhyne in Worcestershire in 1316; and William atte Wurthen who lived at Wortham, Devon in 1330. 1

Early History of the Worthen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Worthen research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Worthen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Worthen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wortham, Worthem and others.

Early Notables of the Worthen family

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

Worthen Ranking

the United States, the name Worthen is the 6,136^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Worthen migration to the United States +

Worthen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Worthen, aged 26, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 4

Worthen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Robert H. Worthen, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1919 from Antilla, Cuba 5
Victorine Worthen, aged 17, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "President Grant" from Brest, France 5
Elisabeth Worthen, aged 54, who arrived in New York, N.Y. in 1919 aboard the ship "Bergensfjord" from Kristiania, Norway 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Worthen (post 1700) +

Sandra Damewood Worthen (1937-2022), American politician, born in Washington, D.C., who served in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1973 to 1978
Samuel Lee Worthen (b. 1958), American former NBA player
John E. Worthen (b. 1933), American academic, 11th President of Ball State University and the 20th President of Indiana University
Major Ezekiel Worthen, American New Hampshire native who participated in the American Revolutionary War
Molly Worthen (b. 1981), American writer and journalist
Shawn Worthen (b. 1978), former American football defensive tackle
Joey Worthen (b. 1979), American soccer player
Jack Worthen Germond (b. 1928), American journalist and author

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result