Langley

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Longley in IL Israel, PH Philippines, RU Russia and 3 more.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Langley is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate surname7.7K records spelled Langley2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy

  Also written Lang-Ley

• Polish surname1.4K records spelled Langley8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, United States, United Kingdom, Czechia

  Languages: Polish, Russian, Czech

  Also written Лэнгли, Ленглі

64 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Langley is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, from one of the many Langleys or ‘dweller by the long wood or clearing’ (Old English lang, lēah); first attested Richard de Langelega 1191 P (Somerset)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, 1. habitational name from any of the numerous places named with Old English lang ‘long’ + leak ‘wood’, ‘glade’; or a topographic name with the same meaning. 2. English; from the Old Norse female personal name Langlif, composed of the elements lang ‘long’ -t- /(/‘‘life’. 3. Americanized spelling of French Langlais.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, merous places named with OE lang, long Long -I- leak wood, clearing. 2. from the ON female personal name Langlif, composed of the elements lang long + lif life. Var.: Longley (found chiefly in Notts, and S Yorks.).

  as a name·The Oxford Names Companion - The definitive guide to Surnames, First Names, and Place Names of the British Isles

• In English, numerous places named with OE lang, long Long + leah wood, clearing. 2. from the ON female personal nameLanglif, composed of the elements lang long + lif life. Var.: Longley (found chiefly in Notts, and S Yorks.).

  as a name·A dictionary of surnames

• In English, One of numerous places in England:

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 51 years between 1907–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Thomas Langleyb. 1363GBBishop of Durham and Lord Chancellor of England
• Samuel Pierpont Langleyb. 1834USAmerican physicist, pioneer of aviation, and 3rd Secretary of the Smithsonian (1834-1906)
• John Newport Langleyb. 1852GBBritish physiologist (1852-1925)
• Walter Langleyb. 1852GBBritish artist (1852-1922)
• Bryan Langleyb. 1909GBBritish cinematographer (1909–2008)
• Noel Langleyb. 1911ZASouth African writer (1911-1980)
• John Langleyb. 1943USAmerican television and film director, writer and producer (1943–2021)
• Tommy Langleyb. 1958GBEnglish footballer (born 1958)
• Philippa Langleyb. 1962GBBritish author, producer and historian
• Ella Langleyb. 1999USAmerican country singer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 95 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Langley?

We estimate roughly 28 thousand people bear Langley (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Langley have the most bearers?

Langley is most frequently recorded in the United Kingdom, where it is most often spelled langley.

How common is Langley compared with other names?

In the United Kingdom, Langley is the 685th most common surname of 1,169,970 surnames recorded there.

What does the name Langley mean?

Recorded meaning: (i) person from Langley, numerous English places, ‘long glade’; (ii) from Old Norse female personal name Langlif, literally ‘long life’.