Oad History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Oad

What does the name Oad mean?

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change, including many immigrants with new names. Oad is a name for a on a heath, or perhaps in Hoath, in Kent. 1 The place-name and the surname are derived from the Old English word hoth (with a long o), which means heath. The surname means "dweller at the heath," while the place-name means "place at the heath." Hoath was recorded as La Hathe at some point in the 13th century. 2

Early Origins of the Oad family

The surname Oad was first found in Sussex. "A hoad in the South means a heathy or rough ground. In Sussex many names of places which comprise the syllable hoth or heath have had it corrupted by the peasantry to hoad, and thus Hothly and Roeheath become Hoadly and Roehoad. " 3

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time: John del Hoth was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Norfolk; and Simon atte Hothe was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and also in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317. 2

Early History of the Oad family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oad research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1643, 1655, 1659, 1662, 1676, 1705, 1706, 1757 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Oad History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oad Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Hoad, Hoath, O'Hode, Oade, Oades, Oadt, Odo and others.

Early Notables of the Oad family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Samuel Hoadly (1643-1705), schoolmaster and writer of educational books, was born 30 Sept. 1643 at Guildford, New England, whither his parents had fled at the outbreak of the great rebellion. In 1655...
His second son, Benjamin Hoadly (1676-1761), Bishop in succession of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester, was born at Westerham in Kent 14 Nov. 1676. 4

Migration of the Oad family to Ireland

Some of the Oad family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Oad family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Oad or a variant listed above: John Hoadley who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1632; Nicholas Hoad, who settled in New England in 1680; as well as Martin Oadt, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738..

The Oad Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Veritas et patria
Motto Translation: Truth and faith.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print