Odday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  France 
  Ireland 


The name Odday was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Odday is for a on a heath, or perhaps in Hoath, in Kent. 1 The place-name and the surname are derived from the Old English word hoth (with a long o), which means heath. The surname means "dweller at the heath," while the place-name means "place at the heath." Hoath was recorded as La Hathe at some point in the 13th century. 2

Early Origins of the Odday family

The surname Odday was first found in Sussex. "A hoad in the South means a heathy or rough ground. In Sussex many names of places which comprise the syllable hoth or heath have had it corrupted by the peasantry to hoad, and thus Hothly and Roeheath become Hoadly and Roehoad. " 3

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time: John del Hoth was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Norfolk; and Simon atte Hothe was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and also in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317. 2

Early History of the Odday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Odday research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1643, 1655, 1659, 1662, 1676, 1705, 1706, 1757 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Odday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Odday Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Hoad, Hoath, O'Hode, Oade, Oades, Oadt, Odo and others.

Early Notables of the Odday family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Samuel Hoadly (1643-1705), schoolmaster and writer of educational books, was born 30 Sept. 1643 at Guildford, New England, whither his parents had fled at the outbreak of the great rebellion. In 1655 his parents returned to Great Britain and settled in Edinburgh, where Samuel was educated, matriculating in...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Odday Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Odday family to Ireland

Some of the Odday family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 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 Odday family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Odday or a variant listed above: John Hoadley who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1632; Nicholas Hoad, who settled in New England in 1680; as well as Martin Oadt, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738..



The Odday Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Veritas et patria
Motto Translation: Truth and faith.





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