Seeley

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, borne by various people ; a name given to several American communities and a lake in western Montana
2. Used as a surname traced to English roots ; also the title of several small towns and a lake in the western United States
3. An English-origin family name carried by many individuals ; also the name of a few American towns and a lake in Montana

Etymology: "Seeley" is an English adjective meaning "happy" in its older sense, and the word has a long, quiet history in English before it became a surname. It comes from Middle English "seely," which meant happy, fortunate or blessed. Over centuries the word's sense narrowed, and in modern usage it survives mainly as a family name rather than as an everyday adjective. The surname is a separate line of descent. Its German counterpart traces to "Seele," meaning "soul," so the name carries a religious echo that the English adjective does not. The two words are not the same root in the strict sense, but the surname's German form shows how a personal name can arise from a noun that once meant something quite different from its later use.