Tooley

Etymology

The surname Tooley has more than one proposed origin in the older surname books. One line of explanation treats it as an Anglo-Scandinavian pet form of the Old Norse name Thorleikr, meaning roughly 'Thor's sport' or 'Thor's contest.' Another tradition connects it with Irish O'Toole, from Tuathal, a Gaelic personal name meaning 'ruler' or 'mighty people.' Some 19th-century writers also linked Tooley with St Olave/Olaf place-names, but that explanation is generally treated as more useful for the street name Tooley Street than for the surname itself.

History

Historical surname dictionaries disagree on the source of the name, which suggests more than one family line may have been folded under the same spelling. Harrison gives both an Anglo-Scandinavian explanation and an Irish one, while Lower notes and then largely dismisses the St Olave theory for the surname. In practice, modern bearers may descend from either an English/Scandinavian or an Irish origin, depending on family history.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

Tooley Street in Southwark is the place-name that helped older writers popularize the St Olave explanation, even though it does not neatly explain the surname itself.

Related surnames