Show ContentsOxley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Oxley

What does the name Oxley mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Oxley come from when the family resided in the parish of Bysshebury in Staffordshire, where they held lands and a family seat at Oxley. Oxley 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. In this case the original bearers of the surname were the dwellers near the ox-meadow.

Early Origins of the Oxley family

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

Early History of the Oxley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oxley research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oxley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oxley 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. Oxley has been recorded under many different variations, including Oxley, Oxly, Oxleigh and others.

Early Notables of the Oxley family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Oxley of Ripon Hall

Oxley Ranking

In the United States, the name Oxley is the 7,808th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Oxley migration to the United States +

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 Oxley or a variant listed above:

Oxley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Oxley, who landed in New Jersey in 1677 2
Oxley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Oxley, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 2
  • Margaret Oxley, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1730 2
  • Thomas and Margaret Oxley, who settled in Maryland in 1731
Oxley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Oxley her husband Thomas and daughter settled in Portsmouth Virginia in 1820
  • E. A. Oxley, aged 40, who settled in America from London, in 1894
Oxley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Annie Oxley, aged 20, who immigrated to America from Sheffield, in 1903
  • Alfred Oxley, aged 8, who settled in America from London, in 1905
  • Alfred Oxley, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
  • Edith Oxley, aged 23, who landed in America from London, England, in 1911
  • Anna Oxley, aged 25, who landed in America from Killucan, Ireland, in 1914
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Oxley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Oxley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • George Oxley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
  • Mary Oxley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774

Oxley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Oxley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Oxley, (b. 1793), aged 23, English labourer who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
  • Mr. James Oxley, English convict who was convicted in Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. Abraham Oxley, English convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. John Oxley, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Mr. George Oxley, aged 33, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Oxley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Oxley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Oxley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Nourmahal" arriving in Dunedin, Otaga, South Island, New Zealand on 5th May 1858 7
  • Mrs. Oxley, British settler travelling from London with 3 daughters aboard the ship "Nourmahal" arriving in Dunedin, Otaga, South Island, New Zealand on 5th May 1858 7
  • Mr. Oxley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Nourmahal" arriving in Dunedin, Otaga, South Island, New Zealand on 5th May 1858 7
  • Mr. J.P. Oxley, Canadian settler travelling from Prince Edward Island aboard the ship "Prince Edward" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 13th May 1859 8
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Oxley, Canadian settler travelling from Prince Edward Island aboard the ship "Prince Edward" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 13th May 1859 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Oxley (post 1700) +

  • Walter R. Oxley, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1972 9
  • Thomas J. Oxley, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 7th District, 1855-57 9
  • Michael Garver Oxley (b. 1944), American Republican politician, Member of Ohio State House of Representatives, 1972-81; U.S. Representative from Ohio 4th District, 1981- 9
  • Lorin E. Oxley, American politician, Representative from Iowa 2nd District, 1976 9
  • Jean Oxley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Iowa, 1972 9
  • Homer Oxley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wyoming, 1952 9
  • Fleetwood B. Oxley, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Hurricane, West Virginia, 1913 9
  • Dennie Oxley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 2008 9
  • Charles L. Oxley, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Evansville, Indiana, 1957-71 (acting, 1957-58) 9
  • Benjamin H. Oxley, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Lincoln County, 1885-86; Member of West Virginia State Senate 7th District, 1887-90 9
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. H Oxley, British Steward, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 10
HMS Royal Oak
  • Harry Oxley (1919-1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 11
  • George Richard Oxley (1911-1939), British Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 11


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  11. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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