Godley Family History

English: habitational name found mainly in Yorkshire and Surrey from Godly in Rishworth (Yorkshire) or Godley Bridge in Surrey, which was the home of Geoffrey de Godelegh in 1228 and William de Godelegh in 133. However, the place in Surrey may have been named after this family, as was Godley's Green in Sussex.

Godley was the name of a hundred in Surrey, but it was not a settlement, and the Surrey and Sussex families may have originated outside the county from Godley in Cheshire, for example, or from Goodleigh in Uffculme (Devon), both of which are known to have given rise to surnames.

These are all named from the Old English byname Gōda, meaning ‘good’ + Old English lēah ‘woodland clearing’.