Greeley
A likely local surname, probably meaning “from the grey meadow.”
The #7,796 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 72,714 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually treated as a habitational or local name, referring to someone from a place called Greeley or a similar-sounding locality. Bardsley explains it as probably built from elements meaning “grey” and “meadow,” i.e. “the grey meadow.” Because the exact place is not securely identified, that explanation should be taken as plausible rather than certain.
History
The name appears in English surname scholarship as a local surname, but the original place behind it has not been confidently pinned down. In the United States it is also known from a family line made prominent by Horace Greeley, which helped keep the surname visible in public life.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers often grouped Greeley with other names they thought meant a meadow described by a color, such as Whiteley and Blackley.
From the historical record
“Qrenly, Oreeley. — Local, 'of Greeley.' J cannot Bnd the spot. From the evidence below it would seem that the meaning is ' the grey meadow'; v. Ley; cf. Whilelcy and Blackley.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named Greeley
- Horace Greeley (1811–1872)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.