Date
Meaning & History
First found as a feminine given name in medieval times, in the forms Orenge and Orengia. The etymology is uncertain, and may be after the place in France named Orange. This is a corruption of Arausio, the name of a Celtic water god which possibly meant "temple (of the forehead)". Later it was conflated with the name of the fruit, which comes from the Sanskrit for "orange tree", naranga. The word was used to describe the fruit's colour in the 16th century.Orange is also a surname, which may be derived from the medieval feminine name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III. His title is from the French place name.