| ![Show Contents]() Ownby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
A product of the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales, the name Ownby, 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 Ownby familyThe surname Ownby 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 Ownby familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ownby 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 Ownby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ownby Spelling VariationsThere are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Ownby have included Owen, Owens, MacOwen, Owenson, Owenby, Ownby and others. Early Notables of the Ownby familyProminent 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 Ownby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ownby RankingIn the United States, the name Ownby is the 12,548th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2  Migration of the Ownby family to Ireland
Some of the Ownby 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.
| Ownby migration to the United States | + |
North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Ownby:
Ownby Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- John S. Ownby, who landed in America, in 1912
| Contemporary Notables of the name Ownby (post 1700) | + |
- Vester M. Ownby, American politician, Independent Candidate for Presidential Elector for Georgia, 1972 3
- James W. Ownby, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, 1902-14 3
- David Jarrod Ownby, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 2000 3
- Daniel Gil "Dan" Ownby (b. 1968), American elected volunteer member of the World Scout Committee
- Brian Ownby (b. 1990), American soccer player
- Ted Ownby, American professor of history at the University of Mississippi
- James Ownby, American photographer
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Ownby migration to the United States 
England
Wales
Ireland
