WYLLIE
Wyllie is a surname with dual origins, both of which have been well documented in historical sources. In Scotland it derives from the Gaelic personal name Uilleam, the equivalent of the English name William. As a patronymic, the name was originally employed to identify the descendants of a man called Uilleam, and over time the spelling evolved into Wyllie.Source 2
In England the surname arises as a locational name from several villages called Willey situated in Cheshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Devonshire and Surrey. The name is based on the Old English elements wilig – meaning ‘willow’ – and leah, meaning a wood clearing or, in some contexts, a water meadow. The Surrey settlement differs slightly, being derived from weoh, a pagan temple, combined with leah for a clearing in a wood. The earliest recorded spelling in surviving documents is that of John de Wylegh, dated 1201 in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire during the reign of King John. Subsequent early entries include William de Wylly of Sussex (1296) and Richard de Wyleye of Essex (1390). The surname was also recorded as Edmund Willie of Somerset (1595) and Francis Willey in London (1621).Source 3
The name has acquired many orthographic variants due to regional dialects and the medieval practice of phonetically spelling unfamiliar words. Variants that appear in contemporary records include Willey, Wiley, Wylie, Wyllie and Wyly. Some scholars recognise a topographic component derived from the Middle English word wilie meaning ‘trap’ – a hunting device – which further explains the appearance of the name in areas with abundant wildlife. These variants are now regarded by genealogists as part of the same family lines, despite their differing orthography.Source 4
In modern times the surname is most commonly found in Scotland, particularly in Aberdeenshire where early Wyllie families held a family seat. Due to emigration during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the name spread to the United Kingdom’s former colonies, with significant concentrations now in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The combination of patronymic and locational origins has made Wyllie a relatively common surname across the Celtic and English speaking world, yet its historical roots remain firmly established in both Gaelic and Anglo‑Saxon traditions. Sources 2–4
Typical given names associated with the Wyllie surname
Male
- Alan
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Janet
- Jemma
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- 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 Wyllie in...
Braille
⠺⠽⠇⠇⠊⠑
Morse
.---.--.-...-.....
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,609 people named Wyllie in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,407th most common surname in Britain. Around 40 in a million people in Britain are named Wyllie.
Famous people named Wyllie
- William Lionel Wyllie - Painter of maritime themes (1851 to 1931)
- George Wyllie - Scottish sculptor (1921 to 2012)
- Robert Crichton Wyllie - Hawaiian politician (1798 to 1865)
- Bob Wyllie - Scottish football player (1929 to 1981)
- Peter John Wyllie - American mineralogist
- Thomas Wyllie - Scottish football player (1872 to 1943)
- James Wyllie - Draughts player (1818 to 1899)
- Jimmy Wyllie - Football player (1927 to 1992)
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.