Mattingly
An English surname most likely meaning “someone from Mattingley,” a place-name built from an Old English personal name and the suffix meaning “woodland clearing.”
The #2,411 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,515 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mattingly is generally understood as a habitational surname from a place called Mattingley, especially Mattingley in Hampshire. The place-name is usually taken to come from an Old English personal name such as Mætti or Mætta plus -ing- meaning “people of” or “associated with,” and -lēah meaning “wood, clearing, or meadow.” In plain terms, it likely began as “the clearing associated with Mætta’s people” or a similar early English form.
History
The surname would have arisen when people moved away from the original settlement and were identified by their place of origin. It is now best known in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, where the name is found with some frequency in parts of the South and Midwest. Spellings have been fairly stable, though local records can show small variations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -ly in surnames like this often comes from Old English -lēah, which originally referred to a clearing or open woodland rather than the modern adverb ending.