Show ContentsOstby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ostby family

The surname Ostby was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held a family seat in that shire in the West Riding.

Early History of the Ostby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ostby research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1204, 1297, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1559 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Ostby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ostby 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. Ostby has been recorded under many different variations, including Estby, Esteby, Eastby, Easterby, Eastaby, Eastbie, Eastabie, Estaby, Esterby, Easterbey, Asterby, Astby, Asteby, Astbie and many more.

Early Notables of the Ostby family

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

Ostby Ranking

In the United States, the name Ostby is the 15,716th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Migration of the Ostby family

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 Ostby or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Ostby (post 1700) +

  • James Ostby, American politician, Farmer-Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from Montana 2nd District, 1930 [2]
  • Byron C. Ostby (b. 1924), American Republican politician, Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Douglas County 1st District, 1949-50 [2]
  • Byron C. Ostby, American Republican politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Dane County 5th District, 1956 [2]
  • Raymond Ostby Arsenault (b. 1948), American historian and academic

RMS Titanic
  • Miss Helene Ragnhild Ostby, aged 22, American First Class passenger from Providence, Rhode Island who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 [3]
  • Mr. Engelhart Cornelius Ostby (d. 1912), aged 64, American First Class passenger from Providence, Rhode Island who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett [3]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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