| ![Show Contents]() Offutt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The distinguished surname Offutt is derived from "Offord," a place name that can be found in both Huntingdonshire and Warwickshire. Early Origins of the Offutt familyThe surname Offutt was first found in Huntingdon, where the family was anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. He granted lands to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family, and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Offord Cluny, held by Odo from Eustace the Sheriff, a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Early History of the Offutt familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Offutt research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1273, 1327 and 1349 are included under the topic Early Offutt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Offutt Spelling VariationsEndless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Offord, Offorth, Oford, Oforth, Offorde, Afford, Afforde, Afforth, Afforthe, Offworth, Ofworth, Offwurth and many more. Early Notables of the Offutt familyAnother 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Offutt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Offutt RankingIn the United States, the name Offutt is the 7,881st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Offutt familyTo escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Offutt or a variant listed above: Robert and Richard Offord, who were both recorded in the 1871 census of Ontario, and Nicholas Offord, who was naturalized in Illinois in 1884.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Offutt (post 1700) | + |
- Jeff Offutt (b. 1961), American professor of Software Engineering at George Mason University
- Warren B. Offutt (b. 1928), American astronomer, recipient of the Amateur Achievement Award of Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1999)
- Denton Offutt, American general store operator who hired future President Abraham Lincoln for his first job
- First Lieutenant Jarvis Jennes Offutt (1894-1918), American aviator from Omaha, Nebraska killed in World War I, eponym of Offutt Air Force Base
- Christopher John "Chris" Offutt (b. 1958), American writer
- Andrew Jefferson Offutt (1934-2013), American science fiction and fantasy author
- Nicholas D. Offutt, American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Montgomery County, 1868 2
- Milton W. Offutt, American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Baltimore County, 1884 2
- Lee Offutt, American politician, Mayor of Rockville, Maryland, 1906-16, 1918-20 2
- Eleanor Hume Offutt (1894-1955), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1936 (alternate), 1940 2
- ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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