Wesley

W4E1S1L1E1Y4
/ˈwɛsli//ˈwɛzli/

proper noun

A habitational surname from Old English.

“John Wesley, founder of Methodism.”

CommonScrabble 12

Meanings

proper nounWesley (countable and uncountable, plural Wesleys)

plural Wesleys

  1. countableuncountableA habitational surname from Old English.

    John Wesley, founder of Methodism.

  2. countableuncountableA male given name transferred from the surname, of 18th century and later usage, today often without any religious connotations.
  3. A place in the United States:
    1. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Emanuel County, Georgia.
    2. countableuncountableA township in Will County, Illinois.
    3. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Wayne Township, Montgomery County, Indiana.
    4. countableuncountableA minor city and township in Kossuth County, Iowa.
    5. countableuncountableA town in Washington County, Maine, named after John Wesley.
    6. countableuncountableA township in Washington County, Ohio.
    7. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Atoka County, Oklahoma.
    8. countableuncountableA former community in Wood County, West Virginia.
  4. countableuncountableA village in north-east Dominica.
  5. countableuncountableA southern suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.
  6. countableuncountableA town in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

Origin

  1. Old Englishwest“west”
  2. EnglishWesley

Several places in England, from Old English west (“west”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Equivalent to west + -ley (“lea”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Wesley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wesley

MLA

“Wesley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wesley. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wesley,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wesley.

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