Surname Rumley - Meaning and Origin
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Rumley: What does the surname Rumley mean?
The surname Rumley is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to be associated with places named Romiley in Cheshire or Rumleigh in Devon. The name may have two components - 'Rum,' which could be an old personal name, and 'ley,' a common ending for English place names, implying 'wood,' 'glade,' or 'clearing.' Hence, it may be understood as 'Rum's glade' or 'clearing where Rum lived.' Like many surnames derived from places, it may have been initially given to someone who moved from a place named Rumley or Rumleigh, acting as an identifier. Variations of this surname include Romiley, Romley, Romlly, and Rumleigh. As with many surnames, the meaning may not hold notable significance in modern times and simply acts as a form of family identification.
Order DNA origin analysisRumley: Where does the name Rumley come from?
The last name Rumley can be found today in numerous countries around the world. In the United States, according to the 2020 census, the last name Rumley appeared in each of the 50 states with clusters in Arkansas and South Carolina. Beyond the US, the last name can be commonly found in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Ireland.
In the United States the Rumley family name is most commonly found in Arkansas where it ranks as the 635th most common surname. The other states with high concentrations include South Carolina, Ontario, California, Texas, New York, and Missouri.
In Europe the last name is widely spread with clusters in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. It is estimated that some 30,000 people in the United Kingdom share the Rumley family name. In Ireland, it ranks 254th most common surname.
In Australia, the Rumley name ranks 465th with close to 2,000 occurrences, and in Canada, it ranks 466th with around 1,500 occurrences. In New Zealand, the last name appears close to 900 times.
The last name Rumley is not considered particularly rare or uncommon but is by no means widespread either. The geographical distribution of Rumley families is rather spread out, and there appears to be strong regional connections in settled areas such as Arkansas and South Carolina.
Variations of the surname Rumley
The Rumley surname has a variety of different variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. Rumley itself is derived from the Old English 'ruma', meaning 'room', and 'leah', meaning 'clearing' or 'glade'. The basic variant of Rumley is 'Rumly', with other common variants being 'Rumely', 'Rummly', 'Rummely', and 'Rumply'. These variants are all variations of the original spelling.
Other related surnames are Rumbold, Romley, Rumbaugh, Rumbelow, Rumball, and Rombeau. These spellings are generally the result of misspellings and mispronunciations of Rumley. Rumball, for example, is derived from the Old English 'hrum', meaning 'noisy', and 'ball', simply meaning 'ball', likely in reference to an animated or violent individual.
Other spellings related to Rumley are Rumbold, Rumfield, Rumbald, Rumble, Runwill, and Ryoley. These surnames are likely derived from places, such as Rumbold from the Old English 'hrum', meaning 'noisy', and 'wald', meaning 'trees', likely in reference to a noisy wooded area. Other place-based origins include Rumfield from the Old English 'rum' 'room', and 'feld', meaning 'field'.
In short, the Rumley surname can take on slightly different variants and spellings depending on a variety of factors, such as regional dialects, mispronunciations, misspellings, foreign language influences, and place-based origins.
Famous people with the name Rumley
- Sinqua Walls: American actor
- Ryan Rumley: British actor
- Joseph Rumley: American basketball player
- Emily Rumley: English singer
- Geno Rumley: American Actor
- Kyle Rumley: American Football Player
- D.V. Rumley: Musician/Singer/Songwriter
- Payton Rumley: Former professional baseball player for the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves
- Tina Rumley: American award-winning Technical Artist
- Tommy Rumley: NASCAR driver
- Marshall Rumley: Country music artist
- Paul Rumley: Major League Soccer executive
- Jules Rumley: Jazz bassist
- Vivien Rumley: Irish actress
- Karin Rumley: American Christian singer-songwriter
- Eric Nerah Rumley: Soccer player
- Terrence Rumley: American basketball player