Wimberly
An English surname that most likely began as a place-based name, later settling into the familiar spelling Wimberly.
The #4,070 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,370 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wimberly is generally treated as an English habitational surname, formed from the name of some now-lost or minor place. The final element is likely the common place-name ending -ley, from Old English leah meaning "woodland clearing" or "meadow." The first element is less certain, but may preserve an older personal name or local word that became obscured over time.
History
Like many English locational surnames, Wimberly would originally have identified someone by the place they came from before becoming hereditary. The spelling has also been influenced by later English sound changes and by the tendency to regularize surnames with the -ley ending. In the United States, Wimberly is a comparatively uncommon surname, with modern bearers likely descended from English or Anglo-American lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling Wimberley is often seen as the closer, more transparent form, which is why Wimberly is sometimes thought of as a simplified or altered variant.