Whatley
A locational surname from English place-names meaning “wheat field” or something similar.
The #3,109 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,664 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Whatley is an English locational surname, originally meaning someone from the place called Whatley in Somerset. The older place-name forms point back to Old English elements for “wheat” plus a word for a meadow or clearing, giving the sense of a “wheat field” or “wheat clearing.” 19th-century writers also linked it with related place-name spellings such as Wheatley and Wheteley.
History
The surname is recorded in several spellings, including Whateley and Wheatley, reflecting the fluid medieval spelling of English place-names. It spread as a local surname taken by people who left Somerset for other parts of England and later abroad. In modern usage, Whatley and Whateley are both well-established family-name forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source explicitly treats Whatley as the Somerset place-name behind the surname, while also noting its close relationship to Wheatley-type forms.
From the historical record
“WHATELY \ Whatley (Soms.), 13th cent. WHATLEY J Whateleg,' in late versions of charters of the A.-Sax. period Whate- leighe ('Cart. Sax', nos. 168, 438) = the Wheat-Field [O.E. feycete -1- ledK\ See Wheatl(e)y; and cp. Whatfield, Suff., and Whatcroft, Chesh. 'WHATLING (Eng.) for a.Q A.-Sdix.. * Hwmtling”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)