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The ancestry of the name Ottoway dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Ottway. Ottoway is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
The surname Ottoway was first found in Westmorland where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ottoway research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1652, 1671, 1680, 1682, 1685, 1692 and 1693 are included under the topic Early Ottoway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Ottoway have been found, including Otway, Ottway, Ottaway, Otaway, Otawa and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Otway; and Thomas Otway (1652-1685), an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for Venice Preserv'd, or...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ottoway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Ottoway, or a variant listed above: