Pulley
Usually a variant of Pooley, from a place-name meaning “pool island” or a dwelling by a pool.
The #4,435 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 38,559 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken as a spelling variant of Pooley, itself a locational name. The place-name comes from Old English elements meaning “pool” and “island” or “dry land in a marsh,” so the sense is roughly “the islet by the pool.” Some 19th-century writers also connected Pulley with related surnames such as Pullen or Pullin, but the Pooley explanation is the clearest and best supported in the excerpts.
History
The name is recorded in medieval English sources, including a 1327 Subsidy Roll form cited by Harrison. Later bearers appear in county records from the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in English local and probate material. Because spelling was very fluid, Pulley could also overlap with similar-looking surnames such as Pooley and Pullin in historical records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname dictionaries, Pulley was often filed alongside Pooley because the two spellings were easily confused in handwritten records.
From the historical record
“Soms. Subsidy-Roll (a.d. 1327). PULLEY = Pooley, q.v. PULLING \i = Pullin, Pullen (q.v.), with PULLENGIadded-^^. 2 Dweller at the Pool-Meadow [O.E. 95 PuUinger”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)