Lilley

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surname of English origin used to identify individuals or families
2. A proper noun referring to a potential place name or family name derived from English roots
3. A last name traditionally borne by persons of English descent, possibly linked to geographic or occupational origins

Etymology: Lilley is a surname built from two Old English words that describe a landscape: "lind", the limetree, and "lēah", meaning a wood or clearing. Put together, the name points to a place where limetrees grew, and it was originally a place name before it became a family name. Many English surnames work this way, taken from the homes or land where early bearers lived. The word "lind" gave the name its tree, and the tree itself is the lime or linden, a tall deciduous tree whose blossom was valued for centuries. Its Old English name survives in the first half of Lilley, while the second half preserves the older sense of an open space among trees that later became the ordinary English word "lea" for meadow.