Orr Family Tree research resources
Research the background of the Orr Family Tree using the resources below. We hope you find these sites useful whilst you are researching your Genealogy !
 | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 5046 people with the Orr surname? In that year Orr was ranked number 844 for popularity in the UK. |
"Local: from the village of Orr in Kircudbrightshire. "(The origin and signification of Scottish surnames. Clifford Stanley Sims, 1862)
Orr records on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out your Orr family tree. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for the Orr family. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for the Orr family. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for the Orr family. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for the Orr family. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for the Orr family. |
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Historical References
"ORR. (1) A common Scots surname, and the name of an old Renfrewshire family. "It is a numerous name in the West end of the shire of Renfrew in the parish of Lochwinnoch" (Nisbet). Hew Orr rendered homage in 1296. Four persons named Or were summoned to answer charges made against them by the abbot of Paisley, 1503 (RMP., p. 61). John Or was witness in Glasgow, 1550 (SBR., ?. 64), Matthew Ore in Paisley, 1654, and imes Orre in Bameth, 1678 (Kubarchan. The name is very common in this record). There were also Orrs in Campbeltown, Kintyre, as early as 1640, immigrants most probably from Renfrewshire. Perhaps from some lost place name. Cf UHIE (1). (2) A descriptive name from C. odhar, dun, of sallow complexion. Donald Oure, son of Finlay Oure, is mentioned, 1512 (Athole, p. 711), and John Or in Moy, a follower of Campbell of Cawdor, 1578 (Cawdor, p. 180). Alexander Over alias Robertson in Connoch was fined for reset of Clan Gregor, 1613 (RFC., xrv, p. 634), and Alexander Ore was member of Gartly Company of Volunteers, 1798 (Witt, p. 23). Hugh Orr (1717-1798), bom in Lochwinnoch, Ayrshire, emigrated to United States in his twentieth year, took an active part in the Revolutionary War by casting guns and shot for the Continental Army, besides doing much to encourage rope-making, spinning and manufacture of edge tools. "(The surnames of Scotland. George Fraser Black, 1866-1948)
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Orr ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Orr Tree?
Visit our Orr DNA page to find out more.
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for the Orr Family History
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Orr Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Orr family tree.
Look at Orr Parish Records at Find My Past.
Search the UK registered births, marriages and deaths for the Orr family name using the FreeBMD database.
Investigate Genealogy Bank for Orr family records.
Investigate MyHeritage for Orr family data.
Look at the LDS Database for records of the Orr family.
Research the Orr surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Orr Military records.
| Did you know that there are currently 8801 people with the Orr surname in the UK? Orr is now ranked number 662 for popularity in the UK. |
Orr Family Tree Databases
Explore WikiTree for user contributed Orr family records. Collaboration is encouraged so that accuracy of Orr data can be verified or corrected by other users.
Study MyTrees for information on the Orr family and people looking to contact living Orr relations.
Look at GENi for Orr family records.
Find your Irish Orr relatives on findmypast.ie
Orr Forums
Research the Orr surname using Genealogy.com forums .
| Did you know that there are currently 57727 people with the Orr surname in the USA? Orr is ranked number 138 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Orr Databases
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on the Orr family. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Use the Surname Map project to look at the current distribution of the Orr surname in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Romania.
Some people with the surname Orr
Arthur Benjamin Bill Bobby Cameron Carey Charles Chris Dave David Dylan Eric Frank Gary Gregory Gustavus Herbert Hugh Jackson James Jehu Jill Jimmy John Lee Louis Meredith Nathanael Neil Nicky Philip Raheem Robert Stanley Stephens Susan Sydney Tommy Wendy Wesley William
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