SHANLEY Family History

Recorded as Chanley, Shandley, Shanley, Shanly, Shenley and no doubt other forms, this is an English surname. It is locational and originates from any or all of the three villages called Shenley in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, or possibly as a dialectal spelling of Shamley (Green), a village in Surrey. The name translation in both cases is obscure, the suffix ending of "ley" is a form of the pre 7th century Olde English word "leah" meaning literally an area of fenced ground, is most cases a farm.