Pendley
A surname most likely taken from Pendley, a place-name in Hertfordshire.
The #7,874 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,458 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pendley is a locational surname, meaning it was originally used for someone who came from a place called Pendley. The historical source excerpt points specifically to Pendley in Hertfordshire, which is the most likely basis of the name. The place-name itself is usually analyzed from Old English elements, though the exact original sense is not fully certain from the excerpt alone.
History
As with many English surnames, Pendley would have begun as an identifying label for a person who had moved away from the place-name. The spelling has remained relatively stable, though related historical forms may overlap with similar surnames and place-names in older records. In the United States today it is uncommon but clearly established.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same 19th-century surname dictionaries link Pendley with the variant Penley, showing how fluid English spellings could be in older records.
From the historical record
“n., Lancs Penley. From Pendley ; a loc. n., Herts. Or Penly, Normandy Penman, Penmain. From Pen- main ; a loc. n., Monm. Or Penmaen, S. Wales Penn. A loc. n., Bucks, Staffs ;”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)