Thorley

English

Etymology

From Old English þorn (“thornbush”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). Equivalent to thorn +‎ -ley (“lea”).

Proper noun

Thorley (countable and uncountable, plural Thorleys)

1. A village and civil parish in East Hertfordshire district, Hertfordshire, England (OS grid ref TL4719).
2. A village in Yarmouth parish, Isle of Wight, England (OS grid ref SZ3788).
3. A habitational surname from Old English.
4. A male given name transferred from the surname

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Thorley is the 39960^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 549 individuals. Thorley is most common among White (95.45%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Thorley”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• Rothley, helotry, otherly