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
Scholar 414
Coal Miner 42
General Labourer 33
Domestic Servant 32
Living On Own Means 29
Agricultural Labourer 28
Dress Maker 25
Living On Her Own Means 23
Labourer 20
Farmer 19
Cotton Weaver 16
Worsted Weaver 16
Farm Labourer 15
Joiner 14
Tailoress 13
Laundress 12
Farm Servant 12
General Servant 12
Cotton Spinner 10
General Servant Domestic 10
House Keeper 10
Gardener 9
Worsted Spinner 9
Dressmaker 8
General Domestic Servant 8

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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