Woolley

English

Etymology

From Old English wulf (“wolf”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). Equivalent to wolf +‎ -ley (“lea”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Evidence for the older form with “wolf”?

Proper noun

Woolley (countable and uncountable, plural Woolleys)

1. A place in England:
   1. A hamlet in Barham and Woolley parish, Huntingdonshire district, Cambridgeshire (OS grid ref TL1574).
   2. A hamlet in Morwenstow parish, north Cornwall (OS grid ref SS2516).
   3. A small village in Charlcombe parish, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset (OS grid ref ST7468).
   4. A village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield, West Yorkshire (OS grid ref SE3213).
   5. A suburb of Bradford-on-Avon, west Wiltshire (OS grid ref ST8361).
2. A habitational surname from Old English.

Derived terms

• Barham and Woolley
• Woolley Grange
• Woolley Moor

 

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Woolley is the 5176^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 6749 individuals. Woolley is most common among White (90.49%) individuals.

References

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Woolley”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.