Dearnley

D2E1A1R1N1L1E1Y4

proper noun

A surname from Old English.

OriginOld English dierne →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

proper nounDearnley (plural Dearnleys)

plural Dearnleys

  1. A surname from Old English.

Origin

  1. Old Englishdierne“secret, hidden”
  2. EnglishDearnley

Habitational surname from a minor place in Lancashire, from Old English dierne (“secret, hidden”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). Equivalent to dearn + -ley (“lea”).

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Alderney
Cite this entry
APA

Dearnley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dearnley

MLA

“Dearnley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dearnley. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dearnley,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dearnley.

Source: Dearnley on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.