Origin: |
Wesley is a geographical English surname which derives from places of the same name such as Westley in Suffolk, Westleigh in both Devon and Lancashire, and Westley Waterless in Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Old English elements west "west" and lēah "wood, clearing." |
Usage: |
The surname was first recorded in the 11th century at least. A Wlmar de Westle is mentioned in Feudal Documents from the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1095, and later Adam de Westeleg is recorded in Lancashire in 1242. As with all surnames, it was in occasional use as a given name from the 17th century. In the case of Wesley, it is particularly credited with being used in honour of John Wesley (1703–91) who, alongside his brother Charles Wesley, founded Methodism. John Wesley was ordained a deacon in the Church of England in 1725 and ordained a priest in 1728. He also became a tutor and Fellow of Lincoln College where he joined like-minded friends in the so-called 'Holy Club.' They were derisively called "methodists" for their methodical devotion to study and religious duties but this name later was used as the term for their religious movement. After a few years missionary work in America, in 1738, at a meeting of a small religious society in London, Wesley experienced a religious conversion while listening to a reading of Martin Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. He began to preach that salvation through faith in Jesus Christ was available to everyone. After his conversion, Wesley became involved in evangelistic work, undertaking open-air, or field, preaching. It is estimated that, in doing this, he preached 40,000 sermons, travelled 250,000 miles, and also wrote, edited or abridged around 400 publications. Though John Wesley said, "I live and die a member of the Church of England,"* by the time of his death the Methodist movement had grown as its own denomination of the Christian Church in Britain and abroad, especially America. The impact of Wesley's work can be seen in the number of boys given the baptismal names "John Wesley" in the late 18th and 19th century in both Britain and America. American explorer, geologist, and ethnologist John Wesley Powell (1834-1902), for example, was born to English itinerant Methodist preachers. Some children in the early 19th century were named "Wesley Whitfield" (George Whitefield was a co-founder of Methodism). Other children named simply "Wesley" in the late 18th century in Britain were notably baptised in Wesleyan Churches.* There are even examples girls being given the names Welseyanna and Wesleyna in the 19th century.
Firstly, it was common historically for given-names-derived-from-surnames to be used to honour family members, therefore we often find them in use in the same areas as the surname. However, The Surname Atlas (using data from the 1881 UK census) demonstrates clearly that the surname Wesley and Westley were most common in the Midlands, whereas use of the name Wesley was more widespread, especially in places where Methodism was well established such as Lancashire and West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man, Norfolk and Cornwall (see image, right). Secondly, data from the 1881 census shows that Westley was a more common spelling for the surname (1227 individuals) than Wesley (1166 individuals) yet Wesley was a far more common spelling as a given name, as birth registrations in England and Wales show:
In the 19th century, Wesley ranked within the top 300, but never quite broke into the top 200 overall in England and Wales. By the 1970s, it had risen significantly. In America, Wesley was consistently in the top 150 from 1900 to 1940, after which it fell a little but was still within the top 200. By 1976, it rose to #119 and reached a peak of#66 in 1977. After this point it declined again, leaving the top 100 in 1989. It has never, however, left the top 200, and since reaching a nadir of #195 in 2007 it has been rising again, now ranking at #117. Though Wesley has never ranked in the top 100 in England and Wales, it did see a peak in the 1980s, as Leslie Dunkling's sample for boys named Wesley in every 10,000 births in England and Wales shows. This most likely put it just below the top 100.
Since then, however, it has plateued, ranking #594 (61 births) in 2016. In Scotland, Wesley went from #347 (2 births) in 1975, to not ranking at all in 1976 then leaping up to #100 (33 births) in 1977 (the same year it peaked in America). The following year it had fallen to #163 (11 births) and has for the most-part seen a decline since. In 2016, Wesley ranked #1308 with 1 birth in Scotland. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * John Wesley (1703–1791), an English cleric and theologian who founded Methodism. Contemporary: * Wesley "Wes" Anderson, American film director. Literature and Other Media: * Westley, hero of The Princess Bride, a 1973 novel and 1987 film. |
Variants: |
Westley |
Pronunciation: |
WEZ-lee [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Wes, Wels |
Sibling Names: |
Everly Melody Eden Nola Aubrey Cora |
Name Lists: |
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Thanks to wolfebriar for requesting this name.