Hunley
A surname that is most likely English in origin, formed from a place-name or field-name ending in -ley, meaning a clearing or meadow.
The #7,323 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,767 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hunley is most likely an English habitational surname built from an Old English place-name. The second element -ley comes from Old English leah, meaning a clearing, meadow, or woodland glade. The first element is less certain: it may preserve a personal name or an old descriptive element such as hūn, but the exact original place-form is not firmly established.
History
As with many English surnames, Hunley probably began as a way of identifying someone from a specific place or farmstead. The name later spread beyond Britain, especially to North America, where it survives in modest numbers. Because the underlying place-name is obscure, the surname has several possible local origins rather than one universally agreed source.
Origin
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Fun fact
The ending -ley is one of the most common clues to an old English landscape surname, usually pointing to a clearing or meadow.