Recent studies suggest the family name Willey dates back to the ninth century. Willey is a English occupational surname of old Dutch origins. During the time of the British Empire the surname spread with the colonies to areas of America, Asia, India and Australia.
Willey is the 416th most common surname in Europe. There are approximately 74214 with the last name Willey living in Europe. The recently published 1911 census carried out by H.M. Treasury for the United Kingdom shows the greatest number of Willey's in the county of Surrey. If a certain legal document is to be believed the late nineteenth century Willey's liked a drink or five. In 1896 a person named Joe Willey was jailed for reasons unknown. Members of the Willey family were involved in the First world war.