FROM STONE AND WOODLAND:

The surname Stanley comes from the Old English words
stan (stone) and leah (wood or clearing),
originally given to those who lived near a “stony clearing.”
It’s a habitational name, found across England
from Derbyshire to Yorkshire,
and later in Scotland and Ireland.
A name shaped by nature and rooted in place.

A NAME OF NOBILITY AND INFLUENCE:

The Stanley family, holders of the Earldom of Derby, 
trace their lineage back to Adam de Aldithley,
a companion of William the Conqueror.
His descendants took the name Stanley
after marrying into the manor of Stanley in Staffordshire.
Famous bearers include Edward Stanley,
who supported Henry VIII’s divorce in 1530,
and Arthur Penrhyn Stanley,
Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881.

A NAME THAT ENDURES ACROSS GENERATIONS:

Today, approximately 95,000 Americans
carry the surname Stanley.
It’s a name with aristocratic roots and wide-reaching branches
one that has moved from stone clearings in medieval England
to lives and legacies across the modern world.
Strong, classic, and enduring—Stanley is a name that lasts.