Origin
Aaby : Norwegian and Danish (also Åby): habitational name from a place called Aaby or Åby from å (old spelling aa) ‘stream small river’ + Old Norse býr ‘farm’. In Norway this is a farm name in five places.
Boe : 1: Norwegian (Bøe): topographic name from an early variant of Old Norse býr ‘farm’. In North America this surname is also an altered form of the variant Bø (see Bo).2: Danish: from Bo a derivative of the Nordic personal name Bui ‘settled farmer’ (Old Norse u is pronounced o) derived from bu ‘to live in a place’.3: Swedish (Böe): of Norwegian origin (see 1 above).4: Dutch and North German: shortened form of Bode originally pronounced as two syllables.5: Scottish: from a much shortened Scots form of Bullock perhaps influenced by Gaelic bò ‘cow’.6: English: variant of Bow 1.7: Irish: possibly from Ó Buadhaigh ‘descendant of the victorious one’ see Bogue and Bow 2.
Boen : 1: Dutch: variant of Boon.2: Norwegian (Bøen): habitational name from the common farm name Bøen ‘The Farm’ from bø ‘farm’ or ‘meadow’ (Old Norse býr) + the definite article -en.3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 溫 (mainly found in Indonesia) possibly based on its Hakka pronunciation see Wen 1.
Boyum : Norwegian (Bøyum): habitational name from a farm in Sogn named from Old Norse bœr býr ‘farm’.
Buckbee : Altered form of English Buckby: habitational name from a place in Northamptonshire named Long Buckby from the Old Norse personal name Bukki + Old Norse býr ‘farmstead settlement’. Compare Bugbee and Bugby.
Bye : 1: English: topographic name for someone who lived near a bend for example in a river from Middle English bye ‘bend’ (from Old English byge a derivative of būgan ‘to bow’). Occasionally it may be from an Old English personal name of obscure origin.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of 25 farms named By from Old Norse býr ‘farm’. Compare Bee.3: Swedish: variant of By a habitational name from any of numerous places called By from Old Swedish by ‘village farm town’.
Byland : 1: English: habitational name from Old Byland (North Yorkshire) or Byland in Ashburton (Devon).2: Swedish: ornamental name from a compound of Old Norse býr ‘farm’ + land ‘land’.3: Dutch: variant archaic or Americanized of Bijland a habitational name from a farmstead called Bijland.
Bylund : Swedish and Norwegian: ornamental name composed of the elements by ‘farm’ (from Old Norse býr) + lund ‘grove’.
Carby : 1: English (Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire): habitational name from Careby in Lincolnshire which is named with the Old English personal name Kári + bȳ ‘farmstead village’.2: Swedish and Danish: habitational name from any of the places in Sweden and Denmark named Karby from karl ‘(free)man’ + býr ‘village’.3: Possibly an Americanized form of German Gerbig.
Clasby : 1: Irish (Galway): Anglicized shortened form of Gillespie.2: English: habitational name from Claxby Pluckacre in Lincolnshire formed with the Old Norse (Danish) personal name Klak (see Clack) + Old Norse býr ‘farm settlement’.3: English (Hampshire): variant of Glasby.
Cleasby : English (northern): habitational name from Cleasby in the North Yorkshire a placename denoting the farmstead or village (Old Norse býr) of a man named with an Old Norse personal name either Kleppr or perhaps Kless (a nickname from a word meaning ‘inarticulate in speech’).
Clixby : from Clixby (Lincs) recorded as Clisby in 1086 Clisseby in 1177 Clipseby in1196 and probably denoting a farmstead or village (Old Scandinavian býr Old Danish bȳ) belonging to a man named with the Old Scandinavian personal name Klippr.
Colby : 1: English (eastern): habitational name from Colby in Norfolk and Westmorland Coleby in Lincolnshire or Coulby Newham in the North Yorkshire. The Colby placename derives from the Old Norse personal name Koli (a byname for a swarthy person from kol ‘(char)coal’) + Old Norse býr ‘settlement’.2: Americanized form of Norwegian Kolby.3: Americanized form of German Kolbe. Compare Kolby.
Corby : 1: English: habitational name from any of various places in northern England. Those in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire are named with the Old Norse personal name Kori (see Cory) + Old Norse býr ‘farm settlement’ whereas the one in Cumbria has as its first element the Old Irish personal name Corc.2: French: nickname from a diminutive of corb ‘crow’.
Cosby : English: habitational name from a place in Leicestershire named Cosby from an Old English personal name Cossa + Old Norse býr ‘farm settlement’.
Dahlby : Norwegian and Danish: habitational name from a Norwegian farm name or Danish placename both derived from Old Norse dalr ‘valley’ + býr ‘farmstead’.
Digby : English: habitational name from Digby in Lincolnshire named from Old English dīc or Old Norse dík ‘dike ditch’ + býr ‘farm settlement’.
Hamby : English: habitational name from Hanby near Welton le Marsh in Lincolnshire which is named from the Old Norse personal name Hundi + Old Norse býr ‘farmstead settlement’.
Hemby : English: most probably a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place presumably named with Old Norse býr ‘farmstead’ and an unexplained first element.
Holderby : Perhaps an altered form of English Holdenby a habitational name from Holdenby in Northamptonshire which is named with the Old Norse personal name Halfdan + Old Norse býr ‘farmstead settlement’.
Huseby : Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads notably in southeastern Norway so named from Old Norse Húsabýr from hús ‘house’ + býr ‘farmstead settlement’.
Ingalsbe : Altered form of Ingoldsby an English habitational name from a place in Lincolnshire so named from the Old Norse personal name Ingjaldr + Old Norse býr ‘farmstead’.
Kirkeby : Danish and Norwegian: habitational name from a place called Kirkeby (or in the case of the Norwegian name from any of ten farmsteads so named) from Old Norse kirkja ‘church’ + býr ‘settlement farm’.
Kolby : 1: Danish and Norwegian: habitational name from a Danish placename or a Norwegian farm name a compound of kol (see Kolberg) and Old Norse býr ‘farm’.2: Americanized form of German Kolbe. Compare Colby.
Lusby : English: habitational name from Lusby in Lincolnshire named in Old Norse as ‘Lútr's farmstead or settlement’ from the Old Norse personal name Lútr (also a nickname meaning ‘stooping’) + býr ‘farmstead settlement’.
Melby : Norwegian: habitational name from any of about 25 farmsteads in eastern Norway originally named Methalbýr in Old Norse from methal ‘middle’ + býr ‘farmstead’.
Mosby : 1: English (Yorkshire): habitational name from Moresby in Cumbria named from the Old French personal name Maurice Moris + Old Norse bȳ ‘farmstead village’.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads in southern Norway from Old Norse mós (genitive case of mór ‘sandy plain’) + býr ‘farm’.
O'Brien : Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Briain ‘descendant of Brian’ a personal name probably based on the element bre- ‘hill’ with the transferred sense ‘eminence’ i.e. ‘exalted one’. See also Bryan. In Ireland there has also been some confusion with O'Byrne (see Byrne).
Ostby : Norwegian (Østby): habitational name from any of about forty farmsteads mostly in southeastern Norway named Østby or Austby from Old Norse Austbýr a compound of aust ‘east’ + býr ‘farmstead’.
Overby : 1: Norwegian (Øverby): habitational name from any of some twenty farmsteads chiefly in southeastern Norway named Øverby from Old Norse Øfribýr a compound of øfri ‘upper’ + býr ‘farmstead’.2: Danish: habitational name from any of several places so named same meaning as 1 above.
Owenby : English: habitational name from one or more of the places in Lincolnshire named Aunby Aunsby or Owmby (two places) all of which have medieval spellings such as Oune(s)by. They are named with the Old Norse personal name Authun or Aun(n) + býr ‘farmstead settlement’. This surname has always been rare in Britain.
Sebo : 1: Americanized form of Norwegian Sæbø: habitational name from any of over fifteen farmsteads on the west coast of Norway named in Old Norse as Sæbœr or Sævarbýr from sær ‘sea’ + býr ‘farm’. Compare Sabo.2: Hungarian (Sebő) and Slovak (Šebo): from a pet form of the personal name Hungarian Sebestyén Slovak Šebestián (see Sebastian).
Smeby : Norwegian: habitational name from any of the three farmsteads in southeastern Norway named in Old Norse as Smithabýr from smithr ‘smith’ + býr ‘farm settlement’.
Sorby : 1: Norwegian (Sørby): habitational name from any of fifteen or more farmsteads in southeastern Norway most of them variants of Sørbø (see Sorbo) with Old Norse býr ‘farm settlement’ as the final element. In some cases the first element may be sør ‘south’.2: English (Yorkshire): variant of Sowerby.
Sparby : Norwegian: habitational name from a farm name in Solør from the unexplained first element + Old Norse býr ‘farm’.
Sundby : Norwegian: habitational name from any of twenty-five or more farmsteads notably in southeastern Norway named in Old Norse as Sunnbýr from sunn ‘south’ + býr ‘farm settlement’.
Westby : 1: English: habitational name from any of various places called Westby for example in Lancashire Lincolnshire and Yorkshire all named with Old Norse vestr ‘west western’ + bý ‘farmstead village’.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of twenty or more farmsteads mainly in southeastern Norway named in Old Norse as Vestbýr a compound Old Norse vestr ‘west’ + býr ‘settlement’. Compare 1 above.3: Swedish: habitational or ornamental name of the same etymology as 2 above.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
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