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

Owensby, 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 Owensby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Owensby in America

Owensby is the 12752nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Owensby surname appeared 2,420 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 Owensby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Owensby 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 Owensby

The surname Owensby has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "Owenes" and "by," meaning "Owen's village" or "Owen's settlement." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name, referring to a locality where someone named Owen or a variation of that name resided.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Owensby can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273. These ancient documents often mentioned people's names alongside their places of residence or origin, which could have given rise to the surname Owensby.

One notable historical figure associated with this surname was Sir John Owensby, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. Records indicate that he was born in Owensby, a small village in the county of Lincolnshire, England, in 1325 and died in 1397.

Another individual of note was Richard Owensby, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century. He was born in 1521 and played an influential role in the city's trade and governance until his death in 1589.

In the 17th century, the name Owensby appeared in various parish records and tax rolls, indicating its widespread use across different regions of England. One such example was William Owensby, a farmer from Oxfordshire, who was born in 1632 and lived until 1701.

During the 18th century, the surname Owensby was also found in parts of Scotland and Ireland, potentially due to migration and intermarriage between families from different parts of the British Isles. A notable bearer of the name was James Owensby, a Scottish philosopher and writer born in 1745 in Edinburgh. He authored several influential works on ethics and political theory before his death in 1819.

In the 19th century, the surname Owensby continued to be documented in various historical records across the United Kingdom. One prominent figure was Elizabeth Owensby, a renowned poet and novelist from Wales, born in 1825. Her literary works gained widespread recognition during her lifetime, and she is remembered as a significant figure in Welsh literature until her passing in 1892.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Owensby

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

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 Owensby 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 Owensby 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 Owensby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!