Wheatley is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

surname which translates into

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

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 Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. 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 Wheatley may refer to: Places * Wheatley (crater), on Venus * Wheatley, Ontario, Canada * Wheatley, Hampshire, England * Wheatley, Oxfordshire, England ** Wheatley railway station * Wheatley, South Yorkshire, England * Wheatley, now Ben Rhydding, ...

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 Alan Wheatley (19 April 1907 – 30 August 1991) was an English actor. He was a well known stage actor in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, appeared in forty films between 1931 and 1965 and was a frequent broadcaster on radio from the 1930s to the ...

, actor * Andrew Wheatley, Jamaican politician *

Ben Wheatley Benjamin Wheatley (born 7 May 1972) is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tel ...

, animator, director *

Charlie Wheatley Charles D. Wheatley (June 27, 1893 – December 10, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher and businessman. He played for the Detroit Tigers of the American League in 1912. Wheatley played baseball as a semi-professional and in the ...

(1893–1982), American baseball player and inventor * Clare Wheatley (born 1971), British football player and administrator *

Doug Wheatley Doug Wheatley, sometimes credited as Douglas H. Wheatley or Doug Tropea-Wheatley, is a Canadian comic book artist who has illustrated numerous comic books including several '' Star Wars'' and ''How to Train Your Dragon'' stories for Dark Horse Comi ...

, comic book artist * Dennis Wheatley, author * Francis Wheatley (disambiguation), several people *

Glenn Wheatley Glenn Dawson Wheatley (23 January 1948 – 1 February 2022) was an Australian musician, talent manager and tour promoter. Career Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s. In the late 1960s he became known national ...

(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 Harold Joseph Wheatley (born 9 May 1920) was an English footballer who played for Port Vale and Shrewsbury Town. Career Wheatley played for Ellesmere Port Town before joining Port Vale as an amateur in March 1938, and signing as a professional ...

, English footballer *

John Wheatley (disambiguation) John Wheatley (1869–1930) was a Scottish politician. John Wheatley may also refer to: * John Wheatley (cricketer) (1860–1962), cricketer from New Zealand * John Laviers Wheatley (1892–1955), Welsh painter and printmaker * John Wheatley, ...

, several people *

Keith Wheatley Keith James Wheatley (born 20 January 1946) is a former English first-class cricketer. Wheatley was born at Guildford in January 1946. He was educated at Lord Wandsworth College, where he played for the college cricket team. Wheatley made his ...

(born 1946), English cricketer *

Kevin Arthur Wheatley Kevin Arthur "Dasher" Wheatley, VC (13 March 1937 – 13 November 1965) was an Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth fo ...

, Australian soldier * Leon F. Wheatley (1872–1944), New York politician * Margaret J. Wheatley, management consultant * Mark Wheatley, comic book artist *

Martin Wheatley Martin Wheatley is a British financier, formerly managing director of the Consumer and Markets Business Unit of the Financial Services Authority in the UK, and is the former CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority. In London Wheatley worked for t ...

, British financier * Sir Mervyn Wheatley, English politician * Colonel

Moreton John Wheatley Colonel Moreton John Wheatley (2 March 1837 – 13 May 1916WHEATLEY, Col Moreton John', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016) was a British Army officer who was Bailiff of the Royal Parks from 1879 to 1 ...

, CB, RE (1837–1916), Bailiff of

The Royal Parks The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...

Natalio Wheatley Natalio Dixon Wheatley (born 2 June 1980) is a British Virgin Islands politician currently serving as Premier of the British Virgin Islands. He is the grandson of former Chief Minister, Willard Wheatley. He has at times expressed a preference t ...

* Ossie Wheatley, English cricketer * Paul Wheatley (disambiguation), several people * Peter Jaffrey Wheatley, British chemist *

Phil Wheatley Philip Martin Wheatley CB (born 4 July 1948) is a retired British civil servant, formerly the Director-General of the National Offender Management Service and before that, Director-General of HM Prison Service. Having attended Leeds Grammar School ...

Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley Peters, also spelled Phyllis and Wheatly ( – December 5, 1784) was an American author who is considered the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. Gates, Henry Louis, ''Trials of Phillis Wheatley: Ameri ...

, poet *

Rebecca Wheatley Rebecca Catherine Anne Wheatley (born 25 April 1965) is a British actress and musician. Wheatley grew up in Teddington, Middlesex, where she went to St Catherine's convent school, before gaining her BA in English literature from the Universi ...

, actor * Ron Wheatley, English footballer * Thomas Wheatley (1821–1883), English mechanical engineer *

Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Anthony Wheatley Sr. (born January 19, 1972) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Previously, he served as the running backs coach of the Denver Broncos of ...

(born 1972), American football player * Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (born 1997), American football player *

Willard Wheatley Willard Wheatley MBE (16 July 1915 – 22 January 1997) was a British Virgin Islands educator and politician who served two consecutive terms as the Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands from 1971 to 1979. He was the second ever Chief Mi ...

(1915–1997), Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands *

William Wheatley William Wheatley (December 5, 1816 – November 3, 1876) was an American stage actor. Biography He was born in New York City, the son of Frederick Wheatley, once a favorite actor in Baltimore and Philadelphia. His mother was Sarah (Ross) Wh ...

(1816–1876), American actor * William O. Wheatley Jr. (born c. 1944), American TV executive

Fictional characters

* Nicky Wheatley in the British soap-opera '' Coronation Street''

People

Fictional characters

See also