Other early forms are Oladebi, Outheby (Feet of Fines, 1199), Onderby[4] and, finally, Oadby.

When King Harold had been defeated, William the Conqueror gave Oadby to Hugh de Grandmesnil, Governor of Leicestershire, who founded the parish church of Oadby on the site of the present St Peter's Church.

On the Countess's land were 46 socmen, eleven bordars and three serfs; two carucates were let to Robert de Buci.

Oadby is a large district centre with a good range of shops, services and facilities which are mostly located along The Parade.

[11][12][13] The town has a mixture of properties, including Edwardian houses, new purpose-built accommodation blocks, three major supermarkets, and restaurants across all price points.

[14] Oadby Industrial Estate, situated to the south-west of the town, contains a large number of small and medium-sized businesses.

[15] Leicester Tigers, premiership rugby union club, train at Oval Park on Wigston Road.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central.

The town is served by the local newspaper, the Leicester Mercury (formerly Oadby, Wigston & Blaby Mail).

Oadby and the surrounding areas are served by Arriva Midlands routes 31/31A/31E which operate as loops around the housing estates to/from Leicester City Centre, Arriva X3 and Stagecoach X7 both serving nearby villages and towns, including Kibworth and Market Harborough.

Centrebus also operate Orbital which links Oadby Parade to nearby Wigston and Leicester General Hospital.