Show ContentsOlloway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Olloway Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Olloway

What does the name Olloway mean?

Olloway is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived as inhabitants at the hollow-way or holy way. 1

Olloway 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.

John Halifax or Holywood (Latin: Johannes de Sacro Bosco) (fl. 1230), was an early English mathematician, probably born at Halifax in Yorkshire. "Holywood is said to have studied at Oxford, and to have afterwards settled at Paris about 1230. The remainder of his life was spent in Paris, where he died, either in 1244 or 1256." 2

Early Origins of the Olloway family

The surname Olloway was first found in Middlesex at Holloway, a district in the parish of Islington, Finsbury division of the hundred of Ossulstone. 3

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." 4 One of the first listings of the district was in 1307, when it was listed as Le Holeweye.

Richard de Holeweia was found in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1130 and later Hohn de la Holewete was found in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1275. John Holewey was in the Hundredorum Rolls for Oxford in 1279 and John del Hollewaye was in Yorkshire in 1308. A few years later, Hugh atte Holewey was listed in Devon in 1310. 5

There were two listings for the family in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Johannes de Holeweye, Wiltshire; and William de Holeweye, Warwickshire. 6

In Somerset, William Holeweye was there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign). 7

Early History of the Olloway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Olloway research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1581, 1582, 1599, 1604, 1616, 1666, 1684, 1687, 1691, 1695, 1720, 1722, 1723, 1734, 1759 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Olloway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Olloway 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 Olloway family name include Holloway, Hollway, Holoway, Hollaway, Hollywood and others.

Early Notables of the Olloway family

  • James Holloway (died 1684), an English merchant from Bristol, and conspirator of the Rye House Plot
  • John Holloway (c. 1666-1734), was a politician and lawyer in the British colony of Virginia, Speaker of the House of Burgesses (1720-1734) and first Mayor of Williamsburg, Virginia (1722-1723.)
  • Benjamin Holloway (1691?-1759), was an English divine, born at Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, about 1691, was the son of Joseph Holloway, 'brasiator' (maltster), of that town. 2
  • James Holloway (d. 1684), was an English "conspirator, a citizen of Bristol, probably imbibed strong protestant opinions from the master to whom he was apprenticed, Walter Stephens, a linendraper of B...
  • Sir Richard Holloway (d. 1695?), was an English judge, "son of John Holloway, B.C.L., who was an official to the archdeacon of Berkshire and a 'covetous civilian and public notary' of Oxford. Richard...

Migration of the Olloway family to Ireland

Some of the Olloway family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 193 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Olloway migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. James Olloway, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Third Fleet" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 8
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships

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