Overturf History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Germany

Etymology of Overturf

Overturf is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the region of Overton in various counties throughout England. Overturf 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.

The place name literally means "higher farmstead" and dates back to Saxon times when the first record of the place name was Uferantun in 909 in Hampshire. There are numerous entries in the Domesday Book of 1086 with very early spellings including: Ovretune in Hampshire; Ovretone in Wiltshire; Oureton in Lancashire; and Ovreton in North Yorkshire. 1

One source claims a dual origin of Overton and Orton. "From one or other of the many places called Overton, or from Orton (Hunts, Leics, Northants, Warwicks, Westmorland), all with ofer, ufera as the first element. In the absence of medieval forms the two names cannot be distinguished." 2

Early Origins of the Overturf family

Early History of the Overturf family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Overturf research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1203, 1275, 1324, 1520, 1525, 1530, 1539, 1547, 1551, 1553, 1562, 1580, 1599, 1609, 1624, 1629, 1631, 1640, 1642, 1657, 1662, 1663, 1664, 1665, 1668, 1678, 1687, 1708, 1712, 1750 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Overturf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Overturf 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 Overturf family name include Overton, Oferton, Overtone and others.

Early Notables of the Overturf family

William Overton (c.1525-1609), an English clergyman, Bishop of Lichfield (1580-1609.) He was "born in London between 1520 and 1530, is said to have been of the same family as Robert Overton, the major-general, and to have owed his early education to Glastonbury Abbey; it is certain that he was elected to a demyship at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1539, and that he became perpetual fellow of the college in 1551. He graduated B.A. in 1547 and M.A. in 1553; in the latter degree he was incorporated at Cambridge in 1562. " 6 Richard Overton (c. 1599-1664), was an English pamphleteer and Leveller...
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Overturf Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Overturf Ranking

the United States, the name Overturf is the 8,111^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Overturf 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 Overturf surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Overton and his wife Mary, who came to Virginia in 1654; John Overton, who settled in Barbados in 1693; as well as Robert and Samuel Overton, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1850..