VARLEY
Varley is a surname of English origin. It is classified as a locational name, indicating that the earliest bearers of the name lived near a particular natural landmark or settlement.
The name is derived from the Old English words fearn, meaning fern, and leah, meaning woodland or clearing. Consequently, Varley originally described someone who resided in or near a fern-covered clearing or woodland area.
Archaeological and documentary evidence links the surname to the place known historically as Verli in Aisne, Picardy, Northern France. The place name arose from the Gallo‑Roman personal name Virilius, a derivative of Virilis, itself based on the Latin word vir meaning man. The suffix -acum denotes a settlement. A French lord, Robert de Verli, is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086; he was granted the manor of Salcott, Essex. The manor, listed as Salcota in the Domesday Book, means a shelter or cottage where salt was made or stored (from the Old English cot).
By the early fourteenth century the surname Varley, a variant of Virli or Verl(e)y, had entered English use. The earliest documented spelling of the family name appears in a 1316 document titled “Documents relating to Feudal Aids” under the name of Thomas de Varley, dated during the reign of King Edward eleven, also known as Edward of Caernarfon (1307‑1327).
Further early records include the marriage of William Varley and Johan Necke in Knowstone, Devonshire on 22 January 1540, and the christening of Alizia, daughter of Willmi Varley, in Gisburn, Yorkshire on 24 December 1577. Other contemporary variants recorded are William Varleigh or Varly in the Oxford University Register of 1596.
The evolution of the surname from a Gallo‑Roman locative to an English placename-based surname illustrates the complex linguistic and migratory patterns that characterise many traditional English surnames.
Typical given names associated with the Varley surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
Female
- Anne
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Faerly
- Fairley
- Fairlie
- Fairly
- Fareley
- Farelly
- Farely
- Farley
- Farlie
- Farly
- Farrelly
- Farrley
- Farrlie
- Farrlley
- Fearley
- Fearly
- Ferley
- Ferly
- Firley
- Firly
- Forley
- Forly
- Frawley
- Furley
- Furly
- Valrey
- Vannerley
- Varaly
- Varela
- Varella
- Varilly
- Varily
- Varla
- Varle
- Varli
- Varly
- Varrally
- Varrily
- Veerley
- Verley
- Verly
- Virley
- Vorley
- Vurley
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Varley in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Varley are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Hobnob.
There are approximately 6,858 people named Varley in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,373rd most common surname in Britain. Around 105 in a million people in Britain are named Varley.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Varley
- Isobel Varley - Former World's Most Tattooed Senior Citizen (1937 to 2015)
- Eric Varley - Politician and Life peer (1932 to 2008)
- Beatrice Varley - Actress (1896 to 1964)
- John Silvester Varley - Businessman
- Frederick Varley - Canadian painter, member of the Canadian Group of Seven artists (1881 to 1969)
- Paul Varley - Drummer (1949 to 2008)
- Nicola Varley - Rapper/MC
- John Varley - Artist 1778-1842 (1778 to 1842)
- Fleetwood Varley - Sport shooter (1862 to 1936)
- Michael Varley - Boxer
- Harry Varley - Rugby union and rugby league football player (1867 to 1915)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.