Show ContentsOwenby Surname History

Etymology of Owenby

What does the name Owenby mean?

The distinguished surname Owenby is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It is derived from "Owmby," the name of a village in Lincolnshire which is itself derived from "Aun," a Viking personal name, and the Old Norse "by," meaning "homestead, settlement."

Early Origins of the Owenby family

The surname Owenby was first found in Lincolnshire, where the settlement of Owmby is located. It was a common practice during the Middle Ages to refer to someone by the name of their hometown; thus, it is likely that the progenitor of the name Owenby was a native of the village of Owmby.

Early History of the Owenby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Owenby research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1202 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Owenby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Owenby Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ownby, Owenby, Owensby, Owmby, Owenbye and others.

Early Notables of the Owenby family

  • the Owenby family of Yorkshire

Owenby Ranking

the United States, the name Owenby is the 15,094th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Owenby family to Ireland

Some of the Owenby family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Owenby family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Jesse Ownby, who arrived in San Francisco in 1851.


Contemporary Notables of the name Owenby (post 1700) +

  • James A. Owenby, American politician, Representative from Colorado 2nd District, 1924 2
  • Todd Owenby, American classical Christian musician
  • Chris Owenby (b. 1986), American composer
  • Shane Owenby, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Amazon.com
  • Ruth L Owenby, American lawyer from California who owns the Ruth L. Owenby Law Firm


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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