Woolley

English

Etymology

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

Proper noun

Woolley (countable and uncountable, plural Woolleys)

1. A hamlet in Barham and Woolley parish, Huntingdonshire district, Cambridgeshire, England (OS grid ref TL1574).
2. A village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE3213).
3. 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.

Further reading

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