Whitley Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Whitley Name Meaning: Originates from the Anglo-Saxon word 'hwit', meaning white and 'leah'meaning a wood clearing.

The surname Whitley was first seen after the Norman Conquest and would have been given to someone who had lived or was associated with one of the numerous settlements with this name. The settlements themselves receiving the name after them consisting of a clearing in a wood or a thin wood/meadow.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Whitley Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Whitley family

Profession Census Frequency
Agricultural Labourer 76
Female Servant 61
Independent 47
Weaver 36
Labourer 31
Farmer 30
Wool Comber 23
Cotton Piecer 17
Male Servant 17
Worsted Weaver 16
Cotton Weaver 15
Tailor 13
Taylor 10
Coal Miner 8
Shoe Maker 8
Joiner 8
Cloth Dresser 8
Woollen Weaver 8
Ag Labourer 7
Pupil 6
Button Maker 6
Clerk 6
Cotton Twister 6
Publican 5
Sawyer 5

Whitley Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Wheatley 75% 43,277
2 Whiteley 88% 39,129
3 Whitley 100% 21,987
4 Whatley 86% 8,924
5 Wheatly 57% 3,317
6 Whitely 71% 3,217
7 Whateley 75% 1,132
8 Whittley 88% 684
9 Witley 86% 550
10 Whitly 86% 503
11 Whately 57% 313
12 Whetley 86% 178
13 Wheetley 75% 138
14 Whatly 71% 111

Did you know?

The surname Whitley is the 3rd most popular variant of Wheatley.

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