Contents [hide]

Ottey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Ottey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ottey is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the parish of Oteley found in the counties of Shropshire, Suffolk and the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 Ottey is derived from the Old English elements "ote," or "oats" and "leah," meaning "a clearing." 2

Otley in the West Riding of Yorkshire as "in the Domesday Survey [as] Othelia, is supposed to have derived the name from Othe or Otho, its Saxon proprietor. It formed the principal portion of an extensive manor or liberty, which was granted by Athelstan to the see of York. The archbishops had a residence here, and their successors to this day are lords of the manor and liberty." 3

Early Origins of the Ottey family

The surname Ottey was first found in Suffolk where the first record of the family was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as Richard de Otteleye. Kirby's Quest lists "Henry Otleghe, Somerset, Edward III" 4 (Henry Otleghe held lands in Somerset during the reign of Edward III.)

Tor de Ottalay was listed in Yorkshire (1148-1156); Thomas de Otteleg was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1225 in Suffolk; and Paulinus de Otteley was found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1301. 5

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Mary Henry Hotlay as living there at that time. 6

Early History of the Ottey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ottey research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1425, 1434, 1601, 1626, 1643, 1644, 1646, 1649, 1661, 1670, 1716 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Ottey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ottey Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ottey family name include Ottley, Otley, Oatley, Oteley, Oatly and others.

Early Notables of the Ottey family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Francis Ottley (1601-1649), English Royalist knight, military governor of Shrewsbury in 1643 and later High Sheriff of Shropshire (1644-1646)...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ottey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ottey migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Ottey surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Ottey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Ottey, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 7

Ottey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Ottey, aged 25, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Roscoe" in 1835 8
Mr. Henry Ottey, aged 17, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Minnesota" in 1872 8
Mr. Williamd H. Ottey, aged 19, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Parthia" in 1873 8
Mr. George Ottey, aged 13, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Greece" in 1883 8
Miss Hetty Ottey, aged 4, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Greece" in 1883 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ottey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Lily Ottey, aged 29, from Bermuda who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Bermudian" in 1907 8
Mr. Reginal Ottey, aged 25, from Panama who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Esperanza" in 1908 8

Ottey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ottey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ottey who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Karrakatta" in 1898 9
Mr. J. W. Ottey, who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Saladin" in 1898. 9

Ottey Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Mr. W. H. Ottey, soldier who arrived in Fremantle, Australia aboard the ship "Kanowna" in 1916 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Ottey (post 1700) +

George Philip Ottey (1824-1891), English clergyman and educationalist and a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1844 to 1847
Allan Thimmoy Ottey (b. 1992), Jamaican international footballer who plays for Waterhouse F.C., as a striker
Milton Bruce "Milt" Ottey (b. 1959), Jamaican-born, retired Canadian high jumper, eight-time national champion
Merlene Joyce Ottey (b. 1960), Jamaican-born Slovenian track athlete who has won nine gold medals, eleven silver medals and sixteen bronze medals

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 9th February 2023 from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx