Find out how popular the last name Owenby is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Owenby.

Owenby, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Owenby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Owenby in America

Owenby is the 13536th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Owenby surname appeared 2,241 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Owenby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Owenby to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Owenby

The surname Owenby is believed to have originated in England, likely in the late medieval period or Renaissance era, somewhere between the 14th and 16th centuries. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name referring to a specific town or village where the earliest bearers of the name resided.

One potential origin theory suggests that the name Owenby may have evolved from the Old English words "oven" and "by," which could translate to "oven village" or "village with ovens." This could indicate that the original settlement was known for its bakeries or a prevalence of ovens used for baking bread or other culinary purposes.

Another possibility is that the name is a variant spelling or corruption of the place name "Ovenby" or "Ovenbie," which may have been the name of a specific location in England during that time period. Unfortunately, records of such a place name are scarce, making it challenging to pinpoint the exact origin with certainty.

Early recorded instances of the surname Owenby can be found in various historical documents, including parish records, tax rolls, and court records from various counties in England. One notable example is the mention of a William Owenby in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1524.

Among the earliest known bearers of the Owenby surname was John Owenby, a merchant and landowner who lived in Worcestershire, England, during the late 16th century. Another individual of note was Richard Owenby, a farmer and landowner from Gloucestershire, who was born in 1612 and died in 1683.

As the name spread and variants emerged, other notable individuals with the surname Owenby include:

1. Thomas Owenby (1745-1820), a soldier in the American Revolutionary War from Virginia.
2. Elizabeth Owenby (1798-1876), a pioneer and settler in Tennessee, known for her contribution to the early development of the region.
3. James Owenby (1825-1901), a farmer and politician who served in the Tennessee State Legislature in the late 19th century.
4. Samuel Owenby (1856-1932), a Baptist minister and author from North Carolina, known for his religious writings and sermons.
5. Mary Owenby (1879-1957), an educator and advocate for women's rights, who worked tirelessly to promote education opportunities for girls in rural areas of Tennessee.

It's important to note that while these examples provide insight into the historical presence of the Owenby surname, the exact origins and derivation remain somewhat uncertain due to the scarcity of definitive records from the earlier periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Owenby

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Owenby.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Owenby was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Owenby has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Owenby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Owenby, please contact us.

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