Recorded as Orange, Oran, Orans, Orringe, Orring, Orrin and possibly others, this unusual surname can be described as both English and French, with possibly a dash of Dutch. It originates from places called Orange in France, of which the most famous was the region near Lyon, from which the House of Orange, the royal family of the Netherlands, and the original Comptes d'Orange were the land owners. They were dispossed in the religious wars of the 16th to 18th century, although as the Stadtholders of Holland, their power base remained largely unaffected. The surname was first introduced into England by one of the followers of William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. This was a William de Orange, and although he may have been an ancestor, he should not in anyway be confused with William of Orange, king of England from 1688 to 1702. In fact there is considerable confusion as after a preliminary appearance in the Domesday Book of 1086, no further recordings of the surname were to be found until two centuries later in 1296, when John Orrenge of Sussex is so recorded. There was a female personal name variously spelt as Orengia and Orenge, which may have has influence on the surname. Examples of recordings include Elizabeth Oranes who married Robert Cobuert on October 4th 1626, at St Giles Cripplegate in the city of London, and Anne Orrin who married Joseph Mouvety at St Katherines by the Tower (of London) on May 22nd 1692.

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