WHATLEY
Whatley is an English surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin held by families throughout the British Isles. The name is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book under several forms which trace its earliest usage to the mid‑Eleventh century.
The etymology of the surname is rooted in the Old English elements hwæt, meaning “what”, and leah, signifying a wood, clearing or meadow. As a locational surname it denotes a person who resided near or within a wooded clearing; therefore, its literal interpretation is “dweller by the wood or clearing”. Variants of the name emerged over the centuries as result of dialectal differences and orthographic change.
Domesday Book entries provide the earliest evidence of the name in several counties. In Somerset the place now called Whatley is recorded as Watelege; in Essex, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Oxfordshire such places appear respectively as Wateleia, Watelei and Watlage. Documents from the early thirteenth century record the surname in forms such as Martin de Watelega of Nottinghamshire (1130) and Peter de Watteleg of Yorkshire (1196). The first secured spelling of the family name among surviving records is that of Lambert de Watileia, dated 1086 in the Geld Rolls of Somerset, during the reign of William the Conqueror.
In the early modern period the surname was borne by Sir Joseph Whatley, Groom of the Bedchamber to King George aV and King William aV. His coat of arms consists of a red field, a silver lion rampant, and a gold chief bearing three black mullets; the mullet, an ancient heraldic star, symbolised honour and achievement in state service.
The surname has a number of recognised spelling variants. In alphabetical order the most common are Watley, Whateley, Wheateley, Whetley, Whitley and Wootley; all are pronounced consistently. The form Whatley is the most widespread today and is also found across the United Kingdom, especially within London and its environs, and in Wales and the West Midlands. In the United States the name appears most frequently in the southeastern states, with Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina reporting the highest concentrations.
While not undisputed, some twentieth‑century records note notable bearers of the name, including William Whatley, a tile‑maker who published an influential treatise in 1705, and Mike Whatley, a playwright, actor and producer who has contributed to the West End of London. These individuals illustrate the surname’s long presence in varied professions and cultural fields.
Typical given names associated with the Whatley surname
Male
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Clare
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Samantha
- 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 Whatley in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 2,733 people named Whatley in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,274th most common surname in Britain. Around 42 in a million people in Britain are named Whatley.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Whatley
- Steve Whatley - Actor and television presenter (1959 to 2005)
- Jesse Whatley - Football player (1895 to 1982)
- Stephen B. Whatley - Artist, painter
- Guy Whatley - Musician
- Matt Whatley - Football player
- Simon Whatley - Darts player
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.