Oxenby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Oxenby

What does the name Oxenby mean?

The Oxenby surname is thought to be a habitational name derived from any of several place names, such as Oxenden in Kent. These place names come from the Old English local description of the "valley of the oxen."

Early Origins of the Oxenby family

The surname Oxenby was first found in Kent where they held a family seat. 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 year 1170 in Essex but Ailric Ockenden is thought to have been a branches of the old baronial family of Oxenden in Kent.

Early History of the Oxenby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oxenby research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1455, 1487, 1607, 1614, 1620, 1645, 1651, 1660, 1661, 1669, 1686 and 1703 are included under the topic Early Oxenby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oxenby Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Oxenby has undergone many spelling variations, including Oxenden, Ockenden, Okenden, Okendon, Oxendon, Oxenford, Wokenden, Ockendon and many more.

Early Notables of the Oxenby family

Sir Solomon Oxenden of Kent; Sir James Oxenden; and his son, Sir Henry Oxenden, 1st Baronet (1614-1686), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Winchelsea (1645); and his son, George Oxenden (1651-1703), an English...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oxenby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Oxenby family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Oxenby were among those contributors: Nelson Ockenden, who was on record in Oregon in 1850; as well as William Ockenden, who came to California in 1884.