Overview
Wheatley is an English surname which translates into Old English as "from the wheat meadow". Alternative spellings include Wheatly, Whatley, Whitley, Wheetley, and Wheatleigh. Whether this is an association of work, or of origin, is debatable. It is probable that the now fairly common surname and its derivatives originate from one who farms wheat. However, the surname "de Wheatley" ("of Wheatley") was in use from around the 12th century, and ascribed to some of those that came from the town of Wheatley in Oxfordshire, England, which was founded around 956 AD. It was also around the 12th century that the custom of adopting a father's name, or his profession, as a surname, became more prevalent.
Other theories ascribe to the belief that most of the ancestry comes from a John Wheatland, who was a very wealthy land owner in Surrey, England. The Wheatland name was then corrupted into Wheatley, Wheatleigh, and in some cases Wheatly.
People
Alan Wheatley, actor
Andrew Wheatley, Jamaican politician
Ben Wheatley, animator, director
Charlie Wheatley (1893–1982), American baseball player and inventor
Clare Wheatley (born 1971), British football player and administrator
Doug Wheatley, comic book artist
Dennis Wheatley, author
Francis Wheatley (disambiguation), several people
Glenn Wheatley (1948–2022), Australian musician, talent manager and tour promoter
Geoffrey W. Wheatley
Henry B. Wheatley, author
Jane Wheatley
Joan Wheatley, American singer
Jo Wheatley, winner of The Great British Bake Off (series 2)
Joe Wheatley, English footballer
John Wheatley (disambiguation), several people
Keith Wheatley (born 1946), English cricketer
Kevin Arthur Wheatley, Australian soldier
Leon F. Wheatley (1872–1944), New York politician
Margaret J. Wheatley, management consultant
Mark Wheatley, comic book artist
Martin Wheatley, British financier
Sir Mervyn Wheatley, English politician
Colonel Moreton John Wheatley, CB, RE (1837–1916), Bailiff of The Royal Parks
Natalio Wheatley
Ossie Wheatley, English cricketer
Paul Wheatley (disambiguation), several people
Peter Jaffrey Wheatley, British chemist
Phil Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley, poet
Rebecca Wheatley, actor
Ron Wheatley, English footballer
Thomas Wheatley (1821–1883), English mechanical engineer
Tyrone Wheatley (born 1972), American football player
Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
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