Meaning & Origin
A place in England: A village and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, previously in Eden district . A suburb of Plymouth, Devon . A village and civil parish in Sevenoaks district, Kent . A village in Cranbrook and Sissinghurst parish, Tunbridge Wells district, Kent . A suburb of Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, on the border with Tyne and Wear
Hartley is a girl's and boy's baby name of Old English origin, from the English place name meaning 'stag meadow' or 'hart's clearing,' from the Old English heorot (stag) and leah (clearing). Like Hadley, Henley, and Harley, it has transitioned from English surname to American first name.
Hartley has a warm, literary quality — it sounds like a heroine in a contemporary novel, smart and unpretentious. The "heart" sound at the start gives it an unintentional warmth that suits it perfectly as a first name. A name with nature at its root and quiet elegance in its branches.