Priestley

English

Alternative forms

• Presley, Pressly

Etymology

Habitational surname from aby of various minor places in North Yorkshire, from Old English prēost (“priest”) + lēah (“wood clearing, meadow, leigh”). Equivalent to priest +‎ -ley (“lea”).

Proper noun

Priestley (countable and uncountable, plural Priestleys)

1. A surname from Old English.
2. An unincorporated community in Lincoln County, West Virginia, United States.

Derived terms

• Priestleyan

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Priestley is the 15325^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1914 individuals. Priestley is most common among White (77.17%) and Black/African American (17.4%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Priestley”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• peristyle