Olliffe (/ˈɒlɪf/ OL-if ; also spelt Oliff, Olliff and Oliffe) is a rare English surname of Scandinavian origin derived from the Old Norse personal name Ōleifr meaning "ancestral relic" or "heirloom".[1] Olliffe is a version of Ōleifr that has not been gaelicised unlike the Irish and Scottish derivations such as McAuliffe and McAuley. In England, the majority of people with the surname are descended from the Buckinghamshire Olliffes, the earliest traceable ancestors of which lived in the village of Bierton, near Aylesbury, in the mid-16th century.[2]

Olliffe
Pronunciation/ˈɒlɪf/
Origin
Meaning"ancestral relic" or "heirloom", derived from Old Norse "Ōleifr"
Region of originScandinavia
Other names
Variant form(s)Olliff, Oliffe, Oliff, McAuliffe, McAuley

People

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References

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  1. ^ "Olliffe at SurnameDB". Name Origin Research. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  2. ^ "The OLLIFFE family of Vale of Aylesbury, BKM". Angela Booth. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2011.