HANDLEY
Handley is a surname of English origin, tracing its roots back to Anglo‑Saxon times. It is a locational name that originally identified persons who lived near or hailed from places called Handley, Hanley or Handly in the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset and Northamptonshire.
The name derives from the Old English words heah, meaning “high”, and leah, meaning “wood” or “clearing”. Consequently, Handley translates as “from the high wood” or “from the high clearing”. In some recorded instances the surname is linked to the Old English personal name Hagena or Hagana, which connotes a “hawthorn clearing”. A further association is with the Old Norse names Hani or Hana, meaning “cock” or “rooster”, indicating that the name may have originally signified a person connected to either the clearing or to the Norse root.
Handley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under various spellings such as “Hanlei”, “Henlege”, “Hanlege” and “Henleie”. The earliest attested written instance appears in the Pipe Rolls of 1185, when a person named Gilbert de Hanlega was documented during the reign of King Henry XI. Further medieval evidence includes Laurence de Hanlaye of Yorkshire in 1219, Robert de Handlegh of Gloucestershire in 1314 and John Hanley of Nottinghamshire in 1426.
During the seventeenth century the name crossed the English Channel. In July 1635 Robert Handley, then nineteen years old, left London aboard the vessel “Assurance” bound for Virginia. He is regarded as one of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname to settle in the New World colonies. The surname subsequently spread through emigration and colonisation to countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Variations of the name that have emerged over time include Handly, Hanley, Handeley, Handlie, Handleigh and Hanly. These differences in spelling arise from regional pronunciation, dialectal influence and historical variations in record‑keeping. While not among the most common surnames in England, Handley retains a steady presence in the United Kingdom and abroad, maintaining its identity as a distinct and historically rich family name.
Typical given names associated with the Handley surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Janet
- Karen
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Handley in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Handley are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Double chocolate chip cookie.
There are approximately 9,883 people named Handley in the UK. That makes it the 940th most common surname in Britain. Around 152 in a million people in Britain are named Handley.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Handley
- Ash Handley - Rugby league player
- Tommy Handley - Radio comedian (1892 to 1949)
- Vernon Handley - Conductor (1930 to 2008)
- George Handley - American politician (1752 to 1793)
- Carol Handley - President of the classical association 1996-7
- Eric Handley - Classical scholar (1926 to 2013)
- Jody Handley - Association football player
- Sam Handley - Cricketer
- Frank Handley - Middle-distance runner and sprinter (1910 to 1985)
- Quorn Handley - Cricketer
- Brian Handley - Football player (1936 to 1982)
- Charlie Handley - Football player (1899 to 1957)
- Tom Handley - Football player (1886 to 1962)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.