Kirkley Family History
Kirkley Name Meaning
English (northern especially Durham): habitational name from Kirkley (Suffolk) or Kirkley in Ponteland (Northumberland). The Suffolk placename derives from Old Norse kirkja ‘church’ + Old English lēah ‘woodland clearing’. The Northumb placename derives from British crouco- ‘hill barrow’ + Old English hlāw ‘hill mound’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022