Priestley
English
Alternative forms
- Presley, Pressly
Etymology
Habitational surname from aby of various minor places in North Yorkshire, from Old English prēost (“priest”) + lēah (“wood clearing, meadow, leigh”). Equivalent to priest + -ley (“lea”).
Proper noun
Priestley (countable and uncountable, plural Priestleys)
- A surname from Old English.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Lincoln County, West Virginia, United States.
Derived terms
- Priestleyan
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Priestley is the 15325th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1914 individuals. Priestley is most common among White (77.17%) and Black/African American (17.4%) individuals.
Further reading
- Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Priestley”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.
Anagrams
- peristyle