English: habitational name from one or more of the many places called Whitley (in Yorkshire, Cheshire, Northumberland, Wiltshire, Warwickshire), Whiteley, or Whitleigh (in Berkshire). The placename is common, generally with the meaning ‘white clearing’ (Old English hwīt ‘white’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’), or occasionally ‘wheat clearing’ (Old English hwǣte + lēah). According to Redmonds, the Yorkshire surname originated in a locality in the Elland area, perhaps White Lee in Scammonden or White Lee in Mytholmroyd.