Whaley Family History
Whaley Name Meaning
English (northern): habitational name from Whalley (Lancashire) or Whaley in Bolsover (Derbyshire). The Lancashire placename may derive from Old English hwæl ‘hill’ + lēah ‘wood woodland clearing’. The Derbyshire placename may derive from Old English wall ‘wall’ walh ‘Welshman foreigner’ (genitive plural wala) or wælla ‘well spring stream’ + lēah.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022