Ollier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Spain

The Ollier surname is generally thought to derive from a place name, perhaps Pont Doylly, or Duilly in Normandy. Alternatively, the Oyler, Ollier and similar spellings could have been derived from the English occupational name for an extractor or seller of oil having derived from the Anglo-Norman French word "olier" from "oile." In northern England linseed oil was commonly derived from flax and used as a substitute for olive oil. 1

Early Origins of the Ollier family

The surname Ollier was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat 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. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave 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. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 2 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Eynsham held by Columban, a Norman noble as under tenant of the Bishop of Lincoln who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. His overlord was Robert d'Ouilli.

Early History of the Ollier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ollier research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1071, 1073, 1120, 1129, 1354, 1542, 1573, 1576, 1577, 1585, 1605, 1614, 1616, 1633, 1640, 1641, 1663, 1666, 1677, 1709 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Ollier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ollier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Doyley, D'Oyley, Doyle, D'Oyle, Doylee, Doley, Duley, Duly, Duely, Dueley, Ollie, Oyler, Oylie, D'Oyly, Olley, Oulley, Oullie, Ollie, Owley, Oyly, Oilli, Oiley, L'Oyle and many more.

Early Notables of the Ollier family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas D'Oyley (fl. 1585), English antiquary, the second son of Sir Henry D'Oyly, knight, of Pondhall in the parish of Hadleigh, Suffolk; Robert D'Oyley (1542-1577) of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1573; and Sir Cope Doyley (d. 1633), who inherited Hambleden Manor, Buckinghamshire in...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ollier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ollier Ranking

In France, the name Ollier is the 1,021^st most popular surname with an estimated 5,220 people with that name. 3

Ollier migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ollier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jane Ollier, who settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1737
Ponz Ollier, who settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1737

Contemporary Notables of the name Ollier (post 1700) +

Charles Ollier (1788-1859), English publisher and author, friend and business associate of Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats
Edmund Ollier (1827-1886), English journalist and author, son of Charles Ollier
Patrick Ollier (b. 1944), French politician, President of the National Assembly in 2007, Minister for Relationships with Parliament (2010-2012)
Claude Ollier (1922-2014), French writer in the nouveau roman literary movement
Cliff Ollier (b. 1931), Australian geologist, geomorphologist, soil scientist, emeritus professor and honorary research fellow, at the School of Earth and Geographical Sciences University of Western Australia
Léopold Ollier (1830-1900), French pioneer of bone and joint surgery, known as the "Father of orthopaedic surgery," discoverer of Ollier disease, a rare nonhereditary sporadic disorder
Charly Ollier (b. 1985), French professional football player

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/