Crossley
A Yorkshire surname that likely began as a place-name, probably meaning someone who lived near a cross or at a settlement called Crossley/Crosslee.
The #5,868 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 52,526 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Crossley is generally treated as a locational surname, meaning “of Crossley” or “from Crossley.” The second element is usually taken from Old English leah, meaning a clearing, meadow, or woodland glade, while the first element is associated with a cross. In other words, the name most likely referred to a place “by the cross clearing” or a similar landmark-based settlement name.
History
Early references place the name strongly in Yorkshire, especially the West Riding, where it appears as a long-established local surname. Some 19th-century writers thought it may have come from a specific lost or obscure locality, while others suggested links with places now written Crosslee or Crosslegh in other parts of Britain. The name later spread beyond Yorkshire and is now found more widely in Britain and overseas.
Origin
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Fun fact
Bardsley noted that Crossley was already established in the West Riding of Yorkshire centuries ago, but he could not identify the exact place that gave rise to it.
From the historical record
“shire. CROSSLEY. The Crossleys of Scait- cliffe, CO. Lancaster, anciently Del Cros- legh, are of unknown antiquity. B.L.G. I find no locality so called. GROSSMAN. Probably from residence near a cross. See Cross and Crouch. CROSSWELL. CROSSWELLER. In the middle ages, when many wells were deemed sacred, crosses were…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom