In common with many one name studies I suspect my data grew from trying to track down my Auty ancestors who seemed very adept at avoiding census enumerators, and appearing in church registers only when they could guarantee that someone of the same name would be entered around the same time.

As this was in the time BC (before computers) and the only way to see the census and parish register was at the local archive a record everything approach was taken just in case I might need it

Over the years the growing database became an unofficial one name study which proved useful to other Auty researchers and only in 2011 did I take that final step and register.

It became apparent in the early years of my research that the Auty surname was extremely localised around the Dewsbury/West Ardsley area of Yorkshire and it was then I started with the idea of attempting to find if there was a common ancestor to the various branches.

The Standard modern variants are

• Auty, Awty, Autie

Additional variants through time or misplacement:

• Autey, Autye, Auttiee, Autty, Auttee, Auitt
• Awtey, Awtye, Awtee
• Aughty, Aughtie, Haughty, Hauty

Possible variations

• Otty, Ottey, Ottye

Possible Origins

• Auti, Alti, Outi

I have always accepted it as a €œlocal€ name around Dewsbury and need to do more in depth research into its origins.

However there are a couple of theories as follows:

• It is of Scandinavian origin, and derives from the Old Norse personal name 'Auti', itself from 'auth' meaning 'riches' or 'prosperity'. And is supposed to be recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under three variant spellings: 'Auti, Alti' and 'Outi'.
• They may have been Protestant Huguenots displaced from France (there is a commune in the mid Pyrenees region of France called Auty) during a period of religious intolerance.

Distibution of the main variants during the census years are within the following areas:

• Auty - West Yorkshire (mainly Dewsbury/West Ardsley)  (1841 around 550 to 1901 around 1300)
• Awty -€“ South Yorkshire/Derbyshire then Staffordshire  (under 50)
• Autie -€“ Worcestershire (under 20)

The Worcester Auties are a bit of a mystery at the moment, but I suspect the Awty cluster around the South Yorkshire/Derbyshire were miners who moved from West Ardsley, coal mining being something both areas have in common.

The Auty One-Name Study database is located in the 'links' section below

You will have to submit a free registration to gain access to the data

Register for Auty Genealogy Database

Subscribe to or Search/Browse the archive at RootsWeb Auty List

Genealogy.com forum for Auty Family