A German and English surname, Overturf has traditional meant a person who lived near a stream, a hill or church. Variations in spelling for Overturf include Oferton, Overtone and Overton. A German spelling would be Oberdorf. In England the earliest Overturf families lived in Cheshire county. Within the United States the states of Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Nebraska and Montana have the greater Overturf populations. Famous: Silas Overturf (19th century mayor of New Albany, Indiana) and Jacob H. Overturf (awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Civil War).