Hurley
A surname with two main roots: usually a place-name from Hurley in Berkshire, but in Ireland often an anglicized form of O'Hurley / O'Hurleyhy.
The #870 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,758 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In England, Hurley is a habitational surname from Hurley in Berkshire, meaning someone who came from that place. The place-name itself is old and is the basis of the surname in English records. In Ireland, however, Hurley also appears as an anglicized form of Gaelic O'Hurley and related forms such as O'Herlihy, so the surname can have a separate Irish origin as well.
History
English surname use is documented from the Berkshire place-name, while later Irish usage is especially common in records where the name was adapted into English spelling. Nineteenth-century surname writers noted that Hurley was strongly represented among Irish-American families, which helped make the Irish line of the name especially visible in the United States. As a result, modern bearers may descend from either the English locational surname or the Irish Gaelic surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books specifically singled out Hurley as being common in New York directories, reflecting 19th-century Irish migration to the United States.
From the historical record
“jm-ed." C. S. Gilbert's Cornwall, i. 18. HURLEY. A parish in Berkshire. HURLOCK. The same as Horlock. HURLSTONE. Hurlston, a township in Cheshire. HURRER. A dealer in hats and caps. Notes and Queries, v. 137. The Hurrcrs' Company in London formerly comprised the cappers, hatmakers, and haberdashers.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Hurley
- Elizabeth Hurley (b. 1965)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.