Woolley
English
Etymology
From Old English wulf (“wolf”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). Equivalent to wolf + -ley (“lea”).
Proper noun
Woolley (countable and uncountable, plural Woolleys)
- A hamlet in Barham and Woolley parish, Huntingdonshire district, Cambridgeshire, England (OS grid ref TL1574).
- A village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE3213).
- A habitational surname from Old English.
Derived terms
- Barham and Woolley
- Woolley Grange
- Woolley Moor
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Woolley is the 5176th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 6749 individuals. Woolley is most common among White (90.49%) individuals.
Further reading
- Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Woolley”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.