Jump to content

Haley (surname)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hayleigh)
Haley
Pronunciation/ˈhli/
LanguageEnglish or Irish
Origin
LanguageOld English / Old Norse / Gaelic
Meaning"hay clearing" or Ingenious or Claimant
Other names
Variant formsmost common: Haly, Healy, Healey, Hailey, Hayley

Haley /ˈhli/ is an English-language surname with three distinct ancestral origins, one English and two Irish.

The English surname Haley is based on a place name derived from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing or meadow",[1]

The family name Haley is also a variant spelling of the anglicized Irish Healy (surname). Two ancient Irish family surnames have been anglicised as Haley.

The first of the two families has its roots in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. The original form of Haley is O hEilidhe, which is derived from the word "eilidhe," which means "claimant".

The second Irish family of this name arose in the province of Munster in Southern Ireland, and is was formerly O hEalaighthe, derived from the Irish word "ealadhach," which means "ingenious."

Variant spellings include Haly, Hailey, Hayley, Healey and Healy, the latter being the most common forms in Ireland today.

The given name Hayley (which has many variant spellings) was derived from it.[1]

People with the surname Haley

[edit]

Fictional characters with the surname

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Katie Martin-Doyle, The Treasury of Baby Names, Worth Press, Cambridge 2005. ISBN 978-1-903025-11-6