Show ContentsOwensby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

A product of the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales, the name Owensby, is from the Welsh personal name Owen or Owain. The Old Welsh forms of this name were Ouen and Ouein and were borrowed from the Latin name Eugenius. This is in turn derived from the Greek name Eugenios, which means well-born or noble. The name was recorded in Wales as early as 926 AD, when Uwen Wenta Cyning was noted.

Early Origins of the Owensby family

The surname Owensby was first found in Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn), located in mid-Eastern Wales, one of thirteen historic counties, and anciently the medieval kingdom of Powys Wenwynwyn, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

From these early beginnings, the family reached throughout early England. "George Welsh Owen, Esq. of Tiverton in Devonshire, is impropriator of the great and small tithes, both of the [parish of Egloskerry] and Tremaine, [Cornwall] which belonged formerly to the priory of Launceston. In Egloskerry there are several estates, by which no small tithes are paid. From the tithes of this parish the sum of £5 per annum is paid to the incumbent curate, and sixteen shillings to the Prince of Wales's audit." 1

Early History of the Owensby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Owensby research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1169, 1600, 1608, 1616, 1622, 1624, 1639, 1640, 1645, 1647, 1659, 1661, 1664, 1666, 1676, 1678, 1679, 1683, 1692, 1698, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Owensby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Owensby Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Owensby has occasionally been spelled Owen, Owens, MacOwen, Owenson, Owenby, Ownby and others.

Early Notables of the Owensby family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Owen (died 1661), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1624 and 1640, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; Sir John Owen (1600-1666), a Welsh Royalist officer during the English Civil War; John Owen (1616-1683), an English Nonconformist church leader, theologian and administrator at the University of Oxford; Arthur Owen (ca.1608-1678), a Welsh politician who sat in...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Owensby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Owensby Ranking

In the United States, the name Owensby is the 8,805th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Owensby family to Ireland

Some of the Owensby family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Owensby migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Owensby

Owensby Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Morllands Owensby, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Caronia" from Liverpool, England 3
  • William Owensby, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1920 from Liverpool, England 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Owensby (post 1700) +

  • Earl Owensby, American founder of Earl Owensby Studios, an American-based film and television film studio in 1974
  • Jacob Wayne Owensby, American prelate, the 4th and current bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana
  • Don W. Owensby, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Missouri 11th District, 1958 4
  • Ernest Earl Owensby (1935-1970), American created independent film-maker who created a 200 acre motion picture studio active in Shelby, North Carolina, active in the 1970s and 1980s


  1. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook