Hanley

Meaning: (From the High Meadow, High Wood Clearing, Place Name, shortened form of O’Hanley, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁinle ‘descendant of Áinle’, a personal name meaning ‘champion’. This is the name of a ruling family in Connacht; it is now common in southern Ireland. English: habitational name from any of various places, such as Handley in Cheshire, Derbyshire. Northamptonshire, and Dorset and Hanley in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, all from Old English hean, the weak dative case (originally used after a preposition and article) of heah ‘high’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’, or from Handley Farm in Clayhanger, Devon, which is named from Old English han ‘(boundary) stone’ + leah.)

Origin: (English, Old English, Irish)

Pronunciation: (HHAENLiy, HAN-lee)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I first saw this name but I kind of like it. It does however feel like a name that will be easily forgotten. I do see a country character that is rough around the edges but is still a lovable character loved by other characters in novel. I see this name as more of a secondary character kind of name though. Though I also think it might be more memorable and likable as a last name. The meanings are very nice and it has a nice long history of use which would make this a good name to use in a historical fiction novel.