Townley
A habitational surname meaning someone who came from a town meadow or settlement by a lane.
The #8,386 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,223 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Townley is an English place-based surname from a place name built from Old English tn, meaning a farmstead or settlement, and Old English lah / Middle English ley, meaning a clearing, meadow, or pasture. In some early explanations it is glossed as a “town meadow” or a settlement meadow by a lane, reflecting the older meanings of the elements rather than the modern word town alone. The surname therefore originally meant “of Townley,” from a place so named.
History
The name is associated with the Lancashire manor of Townley in Habergham Eaves, near Burnley, and Bardsley notes that the place produced a family of standing in medieval times. Harrison records older spellings such as Tounley and Towneley in the 14th century, showing how the name was already established in that region. The surname later spread beyond Lancashire and is now found more widely in England and overseas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Towneley family of Lancashire was prominent enough that the surname became tied to a notable historic estate and local gentry lineage.
From the historical record
“Augustin Tuuherd.— i/wwrf. Rolls. TOWNLEY 1 (Eng.) Dweller at the Town TOWNELEY J (Village)-MEADOw[M.E. f(o)M«, O.E. tiin + M.E. ley, etc., O.E. Udh] The Lane. Towneley was Tounley,Toun- lay, in the 14th cent. TOWNMAN (Eng.) This term goes back to”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)