The surname Ozanne is one of the oldest Guernsey surnames. There are many theories about the origin of the name. Some claim it came from the name of the heralds, "The Hosannas", who brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury. Others claim the name comes from the name of a river in Turkey.

The earliest reference to the surname Ozanne in Guernsey is in the Rolls of Assizes of 1309 when Richard Ozanne "encroached on the king's highway".

According to an old Ozanne Pedigree "the family of Ozanne is one of the most ancient and respectable of Guernsey, and the name can be traced to the reign of King Edward III (1327-1376), at which period 'Sire Denys Ozanne, Pretre' occurs."

The earliest ancestor I have been able to trace is Jammes Ozanne of the Castel parish who married Marie le Maistre, and started a long line of James / Jacques :-

• Jammes OZANNE ( ? - 1681 ) m Marie LE MAISTRE
• Jacques OZANNE ( 1675 - ? ) m 1698 Marie DE GARIS ( ? - 1722 )
• Jacques OZANNE ( 1702 - ? ) m 1729 Elizabeth NICOLLE ( 1705 - 1736 )
• Jacques OZANNE ( 1729 - 1780 ) m 1758 Marie ROUSSEL ( 1738 - 1780 )
• James OZANNE ( 1762 - 1832 ) m 1792 Judith LE PELLEY ( 1768 - 1835 )
• Richard OZANNE ( 1806 - 1866 ) m 1824 Rachel CORBET ( 1801 - 1880 )
• Thomas OZANNE ( 1827 - 1903 ) m 1851 Mary QUERIPEL ( 1818 - 1907 )
• Thomas Richard OZANNE ( 1854 - 1940 ) m 1874 Rachel Louisa GALLIENNE ( 1850 - 1924 )
• Thomas OZANNE ( 1875 - 1960 ) m 1899 Alice Mary PRIAULX ( 1881 - 1949 )
• Oscar Priaulx OZANNE ( 1899 - 1959 ) m 1922 Edna Amy BISSON ( 1894 - 1984 )

There was another Ozanne family which originated from the Castel parish - details of which can be found at Peter Guilbert's site.

Last update: 21 Mar 2004
© Stephen Foote 1996-2004