Smalley
A locational surname meaning someone from a place called Smalley, likely from Old English words for “small” and a lea or pasture.
The #3,055 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,305 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is most commonly explained as a locational name from Smalley in Derbyshire. The place-name is usually taken to mean “small lea” or “small meadow,” from Old English elements meaning “small” and “lea” (a clearing, meadow, or pasture). Some historical dictionaries also allow an alternative sense involving a small enclosure or hayfield.
History
The name appears in medieval records in forms such as Smalhaghe and later as Smalley, showing the normal development of English place-names over time. It spread as a surname when people were identified by origin from the Derbyshire locality. The surname is established in England and also found in later British and American records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers repeatedly treated Smalley as a textbook example of a local surname, tied to a specific Derbyshire place.
From the historical record
“Combe] SMALLEY (Eng. ; Eng. and Scand.) Bel. to Smalley; or Dweller at 1 the Small Lea [O.E. smcel + ledh] 2 the Small Hey or Hay (Enclosure or Pasture) [M.E. smaKJe, O.E. smcil = Scand. smal, small-|- M.E. hey, hay, hagh{e,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Smalley
- Richard Smalley (1943–2005)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.