Surname Hendly - Meaning and Origin

Hendly: What does the surname Hendly mean?

The surname Hendly is of Anglo-Saxon origin, which was primarily established in England. It's a geographical or locational surname and originates from any of the various places called "Handley" in counties like Cheshire, Dorset, Hampshire, and more. The place name means "high wood" or "clearing", derived from the Old English words 'heah' meaning high and 'leah' meaning wood, thicket or clearing. As a result, the surname Hendly may refer to someone hailing from such locations. It's important to consider that many surnames underwent significant changes in spelling and form due to various factors like illiteracy and regional dialects. Hence, the surname Hendly also appears in different forms such as Hanley, Handley, and others.

Hendly: Where does the name Hendly come from?

The surname Hendly primarily has its roots in England. It is a variant of "Handley," a habitational name from any of the various places in England such as in Cheshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Herefordshire, and Wiltshire that bear the same name. These places are usually named with Old English "hand" meaning "long" and "leah" meaning "wood" or "clearing". The surname then might have originated to identify individuals who hailed from these locations.

In modern times, the distribution of the Hendly surname migrated along with people, growing in other English-speaking nations due to colonization, with notable concentrations in the United States and Australia. However, the largest number of people with the Hendly surname is still found in the United Kingdom according to recent statistics. Other countries with noticeable amounts of people with the Hendly surname include Canada, Ireland, and South Africa.

Variations of the surname Hendly

The surname Hendly originates from England and Ireland. Its British version typically came from living in one of several places called Henley in Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, while the Irish variant, believed to be anglicized form of Gaelic Ó’hÁinle, connected to the region of Connacht.

Several variations and spellings of the surname Hendly have emerged over the years, reflecting different regional accents and swift changes in language. These variants include Henly, Henley, Hanly, Hanley, and Handley. In some cases, the "d" or the "n" might have been dropped due to pronunciation, giving rise to surnames like Hedley or Henley.

As surnames were recorded based on how they sounded, therefore, similarly pronounced surnames such as Handleigh, Hanleigh, Henleigh, Handlie, Handlea, Henlea, and Hendlea could also be variants. In the old script, "h" was often mistaken with "a," this might have led to Endly as well.

Other possible variants could include Hendle, Hendlie, or Hendlee. And spellings like Hindley or Hynleigh may have been used, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and phonetics during different periods.

Thus, multiple variants and spellings have occurred from the surname Hendly.

Famous people with the name Hendly

• Jess Hendly, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Oscar Hendly, Spanish football midfielder
• Jean Hendly, Korean-American actor
• Colin Hendly, Scottish footballer
• Helen Hendly, American actress
• Michael Hendly, British rally driver
• Henry Hendly, American civil engineer
• Marie Hendly, first female doctor in Switzerland
• John Hendly, Canadian journalist and writer
• Edson Hendly, Paraguayan football goalkeeper

Other surnames

Hendley