Gibbons was born in Oxford where his father was a city wait. The family moved to Cambridge and his brother Edward, who was 15 years older than Orlando, became Master of the Choristers at King’s College. Between 1596 and 1598 Orlando sang in the choir of King's College, Cambridge where his brother was master. He entered the university in 1598 and got the degree of Bachelor of Music in 1606. He married and had seven children.