Morley
A common English surname originally meaning “person from the moor meadow” or a place called Morley.
The #3,275 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,997 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Morley is usually a habitational surname from one of several English places named Morley. The name is generally taken to mean “moor meadow” or “meadow on the moor,” from Old English elements meaning “moor” and “clearing/meadow” or a related meadow term. In some older sources, a French place-name origin such as Morlaix was also suggested, but English local origins are the standard explanation.
History
The surname appears in medieval records from different parts of England, especially where there were villages or parishes called Morley. Because several places share the name, unrelated families could adopt the surname independently. It became established as a fairly widespread English locational surname and later spread to other English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley notes that while some writers linked Morley with Morlaix in France, the simpler English “moor-ley” explanation fits many local Morley place-names better.
From the historical record
“MORLE, app. for Morel, q.v. MORLEY (Eng.) Bel. to Morley = the Moor- Lea [O.E. mdr-Uah (M.E. Uy\ MORLING, app. the French Mor-e (v. Moor(e2) with tl^e E. double dim. suff. ■l-ing\ Hugh Moriyng. — Hund. Rolls. MORPETH (Eng.) Bel! to Morpeth, 13th cent. Morpath — the Moor-Path [O.E. mdr +”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Morley
- Edward W. Morley (1838–1923)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.