Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Oldebi (sic) 1086 DB

• Oudeby c.1130 LeicSurv 1204 Cur 1316 Banco 1320 Wyg 1514,1518 1542 CoPleas 1543 Fine

• Oudebi 1209×34 AllS 1367 Wyg

• Outhebi 1199 FF 1204 P 1236 Fine

• Outhebia e.13 Wyg

• Outhebya 1260 ib

• Outheby 1220 MHW 1223 Fine 1386 Banco 1399 Wyg

• Owthebi 1236 Fine

• Houtheby 1219,1220 Cur 1221 RHug l.13 Wyg

• Houdeby 1377 LCDeeds

• Outebi 1203 P

• Outeby 1226 Cur 1254 Val 1393 Wyg 1397 Pat

• Owdeby 1404,1412 Wyg 1528 Visit 1535 VE

• Owdeby 1440 Pat

• Odeby 1443,1508 Banco 1610 Speed 1614 LML

• Oteby 1465,1467 Wyg

• Oteby alias dict' Oudeby 1467 ib

• Oadebye 1608 LML

• Oadby 1629 ib

Etymology

Most probably 'the farmstead or village of a man called Authi', v. bȳ .The masc. pers.n. Auði is ON (ODan  Øthi ) and appears as Owði in the Liber Vitae of Thorney Abbey (v. D. Whitelock, 'Scandinavian personal names in the Liber Vitae of Thorney Abbey', Saga Book of the Viking Society for Northern Research 12, Pt 2, 137, 149) and cf. Oby, Nf 242.A possible alternative as the specific is OScand  auðr 'wealth, riches', since Oadby lies on easily worked and fertile glacial sand and gravel, v. SSNEM 61.

The DB spelling has AN inverted l for pre-consonantal u .