Contents [hide]

Woodley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Woodley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Woodley family, who lived in Devon, at Woodleigh, a village, parish and former manor located in the South Hams region. The name is derived from "wood" and the Old English "leah" meaning a "clearing in a forest", collectively a "clearing in the wood." 1 The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Odelie. 2

Early Origins of the Woodley family

The surname Woodley was first found in Devon, where the family held a seat at Woodleigh, after the Norman Conquest of 1066. 3 4 They were conjecturally descended from Robet de Aumaly, who held the fishery of Woodleigh which included 15 cattle and 100 sheep. 2

It is situated above Kingsbridge estuary. Robert was descended from the Counts of Aumaly, one of the largest land holding barons in Normandy. 5

Early History of the Woodley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woodley research. Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woodley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woodley Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Woodley were recorded, including Woodley, Woodleigh, Woodlief and others.

Early Notables of the Woodley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Robert Woodley of Woodleigh

Woodley Ranking

In the United States, the name Woodley is the 3,675^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Woodley family to Ireland

Some of the Woodley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woodley migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Woodley arrived in North America very early:

Woodley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Woodley, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 7
William Woodley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 7

Woodley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andrew Woodley, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
Benjamin and William Woodley, who arrived in New England in 1772

Woodley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Woodley, who arrived in New York in 1822 7
E B Woodley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7

Woodley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ada Woodley, aged 31, who landed in America from Brighton, England, in 1907
Christian Woodley, aged 2, who landed in America from Bermuda, in 1907
Denis Woodley, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from Brighton, England, in 1907
George Wm. Woodley, aged 35, who settled in America from Bristol, England, in 1907
Thomas Woodley, aged 9, who immigrated to America from Castledermot, Ireland, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Woodley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Woodley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. George Woodley U.E., (Woodlye) who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 8
Mr. George Woodley Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8

Woodley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Harold G. Woodley, aged 34, who immigrated to Calgary, Canada, in 1908
Ada Woodley, aged 40, who settled in Belleville, Canada, in 1916
Ada Woodley, aged 40, who settled in Ontario, Canada, in 1916
George Woodley, aged 43, who immigrated to Belleville, Canada, in 1916
George Woodley, aged 43, who immigrated to Ontario, Canada, in 1916

Woodley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Woodley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Woodley, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Thomas Woodley, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Woodley, (Powell) who was convicted in Knightsbridge, London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. William Woodley, English convict who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 9th Mary 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 12
Sarah Ann Woodley, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Storm Cloud"

Woodley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Woodley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Woodley, (b. 1854), aged 23, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 20th January 1877 13

Woodley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Woodley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Woodley who settled in Barbados in 1663

Contemporary Notables of the name Woodley (post 1700) +

Shailene Diann Woodley (b. 1991), American Golden Globe nominated actress, known for her roles in The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008) and The Descendants (2011)
Anita Woodley, American journalist, actress, playwright, literary teaching artist from Oakland, California
LaMarr Dewayne Woodley (b. 1984), American NFL football linebacker for Pittsburgh Steelers (2007–2013), Oakland Raiders (2014) and the Arizona Cardinals (2015)
David Eugene Woodley (1958-2003), American NFL football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins (1980–1983), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1984–1985)
John Paul Woodley Jr., United States Assistant Secretary of the Army
Dan Woodley (b. 1967), retired American professional ice hockey player
Tyron Woodley (b. 1982), American former amateur wrestler
Victor Robert "Vic" Woodley (1910-1978), English football goalkeeper for the England National Team (1937-1939)
George Woodley (1786-1846), English poet and divine, born at Dartmouth, the son of "Richard Woodley, a man of humble position" 15
Derek George Woodley (1942-2002), English former professional footballer
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 13 Feb. 2019