Odbay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Odbay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the parish of Hoby, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of East Goscote in Leicestershire. 1 2

The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Hobie and literally meant "farmstead or village on a spur of land," from the Old English word "hoh" + the Viking word "by." 3

The name could also be a baptismal name "the son of Robert" from the nickname "Hob," or from the Middle English word "hobi," a small species of hawk, or a small horse. 4

Early Origins of the Odbay family

The surname Odbay was first found in Dorset and Somerset, where Richard Hobi was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1175. William Hobey and Ralph Hobay were both listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Philip of Hoby was listed in the Assize Rolls for Norfolk in 1315. 4

Early History of the Odbay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Odbay research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1505, 1530, 1535, 1536, 1558, 1560, 1566, 1574, 1593, 1597, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1607, 1614, 1617, 1640, 1679 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Odbay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Odbay Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Odbay family name include Hobby, Hoby, Hobi, Hobbie, Hobie, Hobbey, Hobey and others.

Early Notables of the Odbay family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Philip Hoby (1505-1558), English diplomatist, son of William Hoby of Leominster, Herefordshire, by his first wife. "His zeal for the Reformation recommended him to Henry VIII. During 1535 and 1536 he was employed in diplomatic service at the courts of Spain and Portugal." 5 Sir Thomas Hoby (1530-1566), was a diplomatist and translator, the second son of William Hoby of Leominster, Herefordshire, by his second wife, Katherine. He was Ambassador to France in 1566 and translated Castiglione's "The Courtier." 5 Sir Edward Hoby, (1560-1617), was diplomatist and controversialist, born at Bisham, Berkshire, in 1560 and...
Another 126 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Odbay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Odbay family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Odbay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Hobby, who sailed to Massachusetts in 1637; Catherine Hobby to Virginia in 1714; John Hobby to Virginia in 1736; Mr. hobby to Newfoundland in 1814.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print