Attaway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The origins of the name Attaway are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the Old German personal names Hathuwic or Hadewic, or from the Old English personal name Heathuwig, which means war-warrior. 1

Early Origins of the Attaway family

The surname Attaway was first found in Herefordshire where Hadeuui was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2 For the next hundred years or so, only surnames were used so it is not surprising to see the next entry, that of Hathewi in the Pipe Rolls of Worcester in 1175. 1

Again in Herefordshire, William Hatewi, Hadewi, Hathewy were listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1178 and 1181. Nigel Haðewi was found in the Gloucestershire Pipe Rolls of 1208 and Thomas Hatheweye was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1380. 1

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Willelmus de Haythewy. 3

Moving further to the north in Scotland, "Alexander Hathwy appears as a witness in Linlithgow in 1444 and 1465, and Robert Hadowy was burgess of Lychtcow (Linlithgow), 1460." 4

Anne Hathaway (1556-1623), the wife of William Shakespeare is thought to have been born in Shottery, a village just to the west of Stratford-upon-Avon where her father, Richard Hathaway, a yeoman farmer died in September 1581.

Early History of the Attaway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Attaway research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1502, 1503, 1582, 1600, 1602, 1607, 1621, 1622, 1626, 1633, 1646, 1656, 1665, 1700, 1701, 1702 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Attaway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Attaway Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Attaway has been spelled many different ways, including Hathaway, Hatheway, Hathoway, Hathway and others.

Early Notables of the Attaway family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Richard Hathaway (fl. 1702), an English impostor, a blacksmith's apprentice of Southwark. "In February 1700 he gave out that he was bewitched by an old woman named Sarah Morduck, the wife of a waterman, and that, as an effect of her sorcery, he vomited nails and pins, was unable to eat, speak, or open his eyes, and was otherwise strangely affected. His only remedy was to scratch Morduck until she bled, when he recovered for a time. He prepared a narrative of his case, but the printer to whom he took the copy...
Another 248 words (18 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Attaway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Attaway Ranking

In the United States, the name Attaway is the 7,440^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Attaway migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Attaways to arrive in North America:

Attaway Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Attaway, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 6
Ja Attaway, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 6
William Attaway, who landed in Virginia in 1663 6

Attaway migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Attaway Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Attaway, (b. 1837), aged 19, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hercus" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th January 1856 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Attaway (post 1700) +

William N. Attaway, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Los Angeles, California, 1949 8
William C. Attaway Jr., American Republican politician, Member of Arizona State House of Representatives, 1963-64 8
Floyd Attaway, American politician, Mayor of Hayward, California, 1960 8

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html