Pronunciation | Irish (/oː bˠuːaxal̪ˠl̪ˠa/) Old English (/bʌkliː/) |
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Origin | |
Meaning | Irish: buachall meaning boy Old English: bucc and leah meaning goat and wood |
Region of origin | Ireland and England |
Buckley is a surname originating from either Ireland or England where it is particularly common, as well as Canada and the United States.
Some sources outline an Irish origin, [1] whereas others outline an Old English origin. [2]
Spelling variations of Buckley include Bucklie, Buckly, Bulkley, Buhilly, Ó Buachalla, Boughla and others.
The English surname is credited by some unknown sources as being of Old English origin, either as a habitation surname derived from settlements named Buckley, or as an occupational surname from the Anglo-Saxon words Bucc and Leah, meaning goat and wood. [2]
A branch of the Buckley family lived in Buckley, Greater Manchester, in Rochdale for many centuries. [3] They gave their name to Buckley Hall, a manor house found within the locality. Their name is said to derive from "bleak hill" and they can be traced back to a "Geoffrey de Buckley".
In Ireland, Ó Buachalla, taken from the Irish word 'buachaill' originally meaning 'herdsman' (in modern Irish it has come to mean 'boy'), was anglicised early as Ó Boughelly, Boughla, Buhilly and later as Buckley.