The history of the name Alway begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the Old English personal name Æthelwig, which originally meant noble-war, Ælfwig, which meant elf-war, or Ealdwig, which meant old war.
The surname Alway was first found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alway research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1188, 1200, 1206, 1221, 1264, 1273, 1273, 1301, 1544, 1599 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Alway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Alway has been recorded under many different variations, including Alway, Allway, Alewy, Alwy, Always, Allways, Ailwi, Alwi, Alawy, Alewi, Alwaye and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Alway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Alway or a variant listed above: