Onyon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

Brythonic in origin, the name of Onyon came from the rugged landscape of Wales. The name is from the common Welsh personal name Enion. The Old Welsh form of this name was Enniaun, which is ultimately derived from the Latin name Annianus. The name is also associated with the Welsh word "enion," which literally means "anvil" and connotes the qualities of stability and fortitude.

Some experts also associate the surname Onyon with the Welsh word "uniawn," which means "upright" or "just." One of the most celebrated bearers of this forename was Einion (or Enyon), a 11th century Welsh warrior-prince and the son of Collwyn. He played a significant role in the legend of the Conquest of Glamorgan by the Normans. It is generally believed that he built Port Eynon castle near Swansea, but evidence of the early castle has been lost. Port Eynon (also spelt Port Einon) still survives today as a village and community in the city and county of Swansea.

As a forename, the name is fairly numerous in early Welsh history including: Einion Offeiriad ("Einion the Priest") (died 1356), Welsh poet and grammarian; Einion ap Gwalchmai (1202-1223), Welsh court poet; Einion ap Gwgon (fl. c. 1215), Welsh court poet; Einion ap Gollwyn, (possibly legendary) Welsh prince of the eleventh century; Einion Wan (fl. c. 1202-1245), Welsh court poet; Saint Einion Frenin (c. 5th century), a son of Owain Ddantgwyn who reigned as a local king in Gwynedd; and Einion Yrth ap Cunedda (c. 420-500; reigned from the 470s), king of Gwynedd.

Early Origins of the Onyon family

The surname Onyon was first found in Sussex, where "in the register of East Grinstead, Sussex, in the first half of the XVII. century, the name is written indifferently Ennion and Onion. " 1

"Onions is probably another form of Inions, also a Shropshire name and above referred to. It is, however, probable that away from the Welsh border this name, as Lower suggests, may be a corruption of Unwin or Onwen, an old personal name, which was represented in Cambridgeshire and elsewhere in the 13th century by the surnames of Onwinne and Onoiun." 2

The Pipe Rolls of Shropshire (Salop) in 1159 list Ennian filius Gieruerd and later in Herefordshire, Ennion de Caple was listed there in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1205. The singular names Eynon and Eynun were listed in the Assize Rolls for Shropshire in 1221 and in Cheshire, Eignon was found there in the Assize Rolls of 1287. Anian was Bishop of Bangor in 1284 and Gruffydd ap Madog Vnyon was listed in 1392. Gode heynon was found in Suffolk in 1221 and in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, William Anyun was listed in Berkshire. Andrew Heizhnon was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327 and John Eynon was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 3

Early History of the Onyon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Onyon research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Onyon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Onyon Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Onyon has occasionally been spelled Einion, Ennian, Annian, Anyan, Einion, Ennion, Enions, Inion, Inions, Innion, Innions, Ineon, Eneon, Onion and many more.

Early Notables of the Onyon family

More information is included under the topic Early Onyon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Onyon family to Ireland

Some of the Onyon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Onyon migration to the United States +

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Onyon:

Onyon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Onyon, aged 26, who landed in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 aboard the ship "Blessing" 4
Susanna Onyon, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 4

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)