Blakely Family History
Blakely Name Meaning
English and Scottish: habitational name from Blackley north of Manchester in Lancashire or possibly in some instances from Blackley in Yorkshire from apparently a compound of Old English blæc + lēah ‘black clearing’. Some forms suggest the name may be derived from an unrecorded place in Bury or Prestwich called Blakelaw ‘black hill’ (Old English blæc ‘black’ + hlāw ‘hill’) or that Blackley was also known as Blakelaw. Confusion between -law and -ley is not uncommon. The surname was confused with (and may also be a source of) Blakey . English: habitational name from Blakeley Hall in Witton le Wear (County Durham) from Old English blæc ‘black’ + hlāw ‘hill’. English: habitational name probably from Blakeley in Staffordshire with the same etymology as 1 and 2 above.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022