Orenge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Orenge

What does the name Orenge mean?

The name Orenge came to England with the ancestors of the Orenge family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Orenge family lived in Buckinghamshire. The name, however, is a reference to Orange, in the department of Mayenne, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Another derivation of the name suggests that it originated as a nickname used to distinguish someone who was associated with the color orange, possibly through habitually dressing in the color. The two derivations are equally valid, but since time has obscured most records historians now disagree on which is appropriate in individual cases.

Eutropius of Orange (died 475) was Bishop of Orange, France, during the 5th century as was Saint Florentius of Orange, Bishop of the city of Orange in France around 517-524.

Early Origins of the Orenge family

The surname Orenge was first found in Buckinghamshire, where they were granted lands for assisting William the Conqueror. The name is derived from the place named Orange in the département of Mayenne. King William III of England, Prince of Orange has called historians attention to this area. William, Walter, Ralph and John Orenge were registered in Normandy between 1180 and 1195. 1 William de Orange held in Bedford 1165. 2

"A William de Orenge is a Domesday tenant in Buckinghamshire. Whence this 'William of Orange' came, I cannot guess; certainly not, I should say, from the district from which his great namesake, some six hundred years later, originally had his title, that being a small town and ancient principality in the South of France, about twenty miles from Avignon, and formerly a dependency of Holland." 3 4

In the singular form, the Curia Regis Rolls listed Orengia (1201) and Horenga (1204) in Oxfordshire. The Feet of Fines for Essex included Orenga in 1226 and later the Assize Rolls for Bedfordshire listed Orenge in 1247. Sibel and John Orenge were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and later, Alexander Orrynge was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 5

Early History of the Orenge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Orenge research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1296, 1327, 1480, 1504, 1510, 1515, 1529 and 1538 are included under the topic Early Orenge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Orenge Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Orange, Orenge, Orringe and others.

Early Notables of the Orenge family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William de Orenge, 11th century landholder
John Orenge (by 1480-1538 or later), of London, Exeter and Plymouth, Devon and Wimborne Minster, Dorset, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Exeter in 1504...

Migration of the Orenge family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Orenge or a variant listed above: Sivillius Orange, who sailed to Virginia in 1664; Louiss Orange came to Jamestown Virginia in 1700 with his wife and child; Benjamin and William Orange sailed to Philadelphia in 1820..

Sources +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)