Holway Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Holway come from when the family resided as inhabitants at the hollow-way or holy way. Holway 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.

Holway Early Origins

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The surname Holway was first found in Middlesex at Holloway, a district in the parish of Islington, Finsbury division of the hundred of Ossulstone. Today, it is part of Greater London. There are a few different possible origins of the place name but the generally accepted origin is from the Old English words hol + weg which evolved to mean "the road with a hollow." One of the first listings of the district was in 1307, when it was listed as Le Holeweye.

Holway Spelling Variations

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. Holway has been recorded under many different variations, including Holloway, Hollway, Holoway, Hollaway, Hollywood and others.

Holway Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holway research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1826, 1684, 1666, 1734, 1720, 1734, 1722, 1723 and are included under the topic Early Holway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holway Early Notables (pre 1700)

Notables of this surname at this time include: James Holloway (died 1684), an English merchant from Bristol, and conspirator of the Rye House Plot; and John...

Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holway In Ireland

Some of the Holway family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

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 Holway or a variant listed above: Dorothy Hollway settled in Barbados in 1663; with William her husband; William Holloway settled in Maryland in 1775; Eadie Holloway settled with Elizabeth and Joe in Virginia in 1635.

Contemporary Notables of the name Holway (post 1700)

Charles E. Holway (b. 1885), American professional sprinter who won a national competition in Pontypridd, Wales in 1908
William Rea "W.R." Holway (1893-1981), American civil engineer, best known for his work on major water supply projects for the city of Tulsa, and on the Pensacola Dam at Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, eponym of Lake W. R. Holway, Oklahoma
Florence Robie Reed Holway (1915-2012), American woman who was raped and through her efforts led to much stronger sentences against sex offenders went in 1993
Albert Robert "Toots" Holway (1902-1968), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey defenceman who played from 1923 to 1937

Holway Family Crest Products

Citations

^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)

Other References

Papworth, J.W and A.W Morant. Ordinary of British Armorials. London: T.Richards, 1874. Print.
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Bolton's American Armory. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Company, 1964. Print.
Foster, Joseph. Dictionary of Heraldry Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees. London: Bracken Books, 1989. Print. (ISBN 1-85170-309-8).
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Ingram, Rev. James. Translator Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1823. Print.
Best, Hugh. Debrett's Texas Peerage. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983. Print. (ISBN 069811244X).
Filby, P. William and Mary K Meyer. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index in Four Volumes. Detroit: Gale Research, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8).
Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.
Elster, Robert J. International Who's Who. London: Europa/Routledge. Print.
Matthews, John. Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book. London: John Matthews, 1911. Print.
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The Holway Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Holway Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 17 December 2015 at 14:52.