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, whereas others outline an Old English origin. Spelling variations of Buckley include Bucklie, Buckly, Bulkley, Buhilly, Ó Buachalla, Boughla and others.

Origins

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. A branch of the Buckley family lived in Buckley, Greater Manchester, in Rochdale for many centuries. 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.

Notable Buckleys