Otterey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Otterey is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the region of Ottway. Otterey 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. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Otterey family

The surname Otterey was first found in Westmorland where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Otterey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Otterey research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1652, 1671, 1680, 1682, 1685, 1692 and 1693 are included under the topic Early Otterey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otterey 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 Otterey family name include Otway, Ottway, Ottaway, Otaway, Otawa and others.

Early Notables of the Otterey family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Otway; and Thomas Otway (1652-1685), an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for Venice Preserv'd, or...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Otterey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Otterey family to Ireland

Some of the Otterey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Otterey 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 Otterey surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Thomas Ottway who settled in Virginia in 1623; James Otway arrived in New York in 1823 with his wife and five children, and his brother William; W.B. Otway settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1852..

The Otterey Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Si Deus nobiscum quis contra nos
Motto Translation: If God be with us who can be against us?.