Onslow as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Onslow

What is the meaning of the name Onslow ?

The baby name Onslow is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /ˈɒn.sloʊ/ (UK), /ˈɑn.sloʊ/ (US); respelling: ON-sloh.

Onslow is English in Origin.

Onslow is an English habitational name taken from the place near Shrewsbury in Shropshire, formed from Old English ān “one, solitary” and hlāw “hill, mound, burial mound.” The sense is “lone hill” or “solitary mound.” Some scholars note an alternative reading from a personal name (Ong) + hlāw, yielding “Ong’s hill.” As a given name, Onslow carries the same place-derived meaning and a distinctly British, patrician tone.

The surname is well established from medieval times and prominent through the titled Onslow family (Earls of Onslow). It began crossing into first-name use with the 18th–19th‑century fashion for surnames as forenames, especially in Britain and the Commonwealth. Though uncommon today, it appears in Victorian records and modern registers; bearers include American actor Onslow Stevens. Related variants include Anslow (from a Staffordshire place) and the archaic spellings Onsloe/Onslowe. Potential short forms are On, Oz, or Ozzie.

⚙ Onslow is an extremely rare name. Across our dataset of national birth registries and international name records, Onslow appears only 4 times in total — found in 2 countries. If you're considering it, you'd be giving your child a name almost nobody else has.