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Boy · Old English
Oswiu
Say it: OS-wee-oo
Meaning
From Old English os 'god (a pagan deity)'; the second element is uncertain.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Borne by the Northumbrian king who presided over the Synod of Whitby in 664.
Its wave through time
No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Oswy, Oswio
Famous bearers
- Oswiu, king of Northumbria
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Anglo-Saxon charters, chronicles and church records
- Royal and noble genealogies
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.