The story
- Old English · derived fromtūn“enclosure; settlement, town”
- English todayTowneley
Habitational surname from a minor place near Burnley, in Lancashire, from Old English tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). Equivalent to town + -ley (“lea”).
Words from the same roots
Old Englishtūn all →
wellingtonClaytonWilmingtonbartonLutonWhartonfinkPendletonPembertonTunbridgeCrichtonBeltonTorringtonRoystonTunstallPinkertonLeytonFramptonLoftonNaughtonBlytonTarletonConistonOultonTurtonColstonCheritonLoxtonLentonSymington
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.