LILLEY
The surname Lilley is a family name of English origin that has been recorded since the Middle Ages. The name is principally locational, deriving from places called Lilley in Hertfordshire and Berkshire, and it may also have arisen as a nickname or occupational name associated with the lily flower.
The earliest recorded spellings of the name include Thomas Lylie of Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1296, Hugh Lily in the Hundred Rolls of Lincoln for 1275, and William Lely of Norfolk in the same year. A 1247 witness to the Bedfordshire Assizes, Alan Lilie, provides the earliest example of an individual bearing the name during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Old English and medieval sources identify three principal derivations for the surname. The first is a diminutive nickname from the personal name Elizabeth, a name introduced to England by Crusaders in the twelfth century and meaning “god is my guardian” in Hebrew. The second is a nickname Lilie, originally applied as a baptismal name to a baby with a fair complexion; here the root is the Old English pre‑seventh‑century word lilie, meaning the lily flower, itself derived from the Roman‑Latin lilium. The third derivation is locational, from villages called Lilley in Hertfordshire and Berkshire. These place‑names were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and translate as “the clearing where flax was grown”, from the Old English lin “flax” and leah “clearing”.
In addition to the English forms, the surname appears in several variants, including Lilly, Liliy, Lilley, Lillie, Liley and Lely. These spellings reflect differences in regional pronunciation and the transcription practices of early record keepers.
Coat‑tale evidence for the name includes a blazon describing a red field bearing three white lilies slipped. This heraldic description, recorded in sources contemporary with the surname’s later use, associates the family with the lily motif that also appears in the linguistic derivations of the name.
While the English origin is most common, an Irish connection exists where Lilley is an anglicised form of the Gaelic Ó Lile, meaning “descendant of Lile”, with Lile a pet form of the female personal name Líle. This form itself derives from the Latin Lilia and the surname is occasionally found in Ireland, particularly on the Isle of Man where the density of bearers is high.
Today, the name is most widely found in the United Kingdom, especially within England where it first appeared. It is also relatively frequent in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the pattern of migration from Britain. According to data from genealogical records such as Forebears, the surname’s greatest concentration remains in England, with notable communities also present in Australia.
Typical given names associated with the Lilley surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Emma
- Helen
- Joanne
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Lailey
- Laily
- Laley
- Laleye
- Lallay
- Lalley
- Lally
- Laly
- Lauley
- Lawley
- Lawly
- Layley
- Lealey
- Lealy
- Leeley
- Leley
- Lelley
- Lelly
- Lely
- Lewly
- Lilee
- Liley
- Lili
- Lilie
- Lilis
- Lilla
- Lille
- Lillee
- Lilli
- Lillia
- Lillice
- Lillie
- Lillies
- Lillis
- Lilliu
- Lillo
- Lilly
- Lily
- Lolay
- Loley
- Lollay
- Lolley
- Lolly
- Loly
- Looley
- Lowley
- Lowly
- Loyley
- Lulay
- Luley
- Lulley
- Lully
- Luly
- Lyley
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Lilley in...
Braille
⠇⠊⠇⠇⠑⠽
Morse
.-.....-...-...-.--
Semaphore
There are approximately 10,612 people named Lilley in the UK. That makes it the 871st most common surname in Britain. Around 163 in a million people in Britain are named Lilley.
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 Lilley
- Peter Lilley - Politician
- David Lilley - Snooker player
- Ashley Lilley - Scottish actress and singer
- Derek Lilley - Scottish football player
- Valerie Lilley - Actress
- David Lilley - Scottish football player
- Bob Lilley - Football player (1893 to 1964)
- Charles Lilley - Australian politician (1827 to 1897)
- Jordan Lilley - Rugby league player
- Frank Lilley - Politician (1907 to 1971)
- Mark Lilley - Rugby union player
- Geoffrey Lilley - (1919 to 2015)
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.