Recorded as Padley, Padly, Pedley, Pidley, Patley, Petley, Pettley, and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is of early medieval origin, and locational from a place called Padley in the county of Derbyshire. This place is first recorded in the year 1220 as Paddeley, and means either "Padda's glade", the former being an early personal name, or "The area frequented by toads or frogs", from the pre 7th century word pade, meaning frog or toad. Locational names were given either to the local lord of the manor, or more usually to former inhabitants who left their original homes, to live or work in another area. However spelt the surname is ancient, and early examples include Henry de Padelay of Yorkshire, in the Poll Tax register of 1379, and William Paddeley of Nottinghamshire, in 1504. Other recordings taken from surviving church registers of the city of London include Anne Padley, christened on the 7th October 1599 at St. James's Garlickhithe, Edward Petley, christened at St Brides Fleet Street, on July 25th 1650, and Dorothy Pedley who married Samson Coppestall at St James church, Dukes Place, Westminster, on May 17th 1691. London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicholas de Paddeleye. This was dated 1275, in the Hundred Rolls of Derbyshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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