# Woolley (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/woolley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A habitational surname from Old English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,749 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,176 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 45,747 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.3% (6,598 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Usually from Old English wulf (“wolf”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade frequented by wolves”). Equivalent to wolf + -ley (“lea”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Woolley in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 90% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Woolley in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of England and Australia.

## People named Woolley

- Leonard Woolley, British archaeologist (1880–1960)
- Monty Woolley, American actor (1888–1963)
- Richard van der Riet Woolley, British astronomer royal (1906–1986)
- Hannah Woolley, 17th century English writer
- Patricia A. Woolley, Australian zoologist (1932 - )

## Similar surnames

Willey, Wooley, Walley, Woll, Wall, Wiley, Whaley, Wahl, Will, Wylie, Weil, Willie.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.