Holley
Usually a spelling variant of Holly, and in some cases a surname that may have developed from place names or from the personal name Hawley.
The #1,163 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,213 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Holley is best treated as a variant spelling of Holly, the surname most often linked to the holly tree or to a place-name from that tree. The historical material also hints at a possible connection with Hawley in some families, so the name may not have a single origin everywhere. In short, Holley can reflect either a tree-name surname or a local surname that later shifted in spelling.
History
The name appears in older surname lists as a form alongside Holly, Hollie, and related spellings, showing how fluid English surname spelling was. Some nineteenth- and early twentieth-century writers also suggested that at least one Holley line may come from Hawley, especially in Devon. In the United States the name has become established as a moderately uncommon surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because pre-modern spelling was so variable, the same family line could appear in records as Holly, Hollie, or Holley within a few generations.
From the historical record
“Holund) ; a loc. n., Derbysh. Or Dch., FI. Holland ; a p.n. Holley. FI. Holle ; a p.n. See Holl Hollick. D. Hoick ; Dch. Hol- lak ; G. Holleck ; p.n. Dim. of Holl”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)