Marleigh

Marleigh is a more fanciful Americanized form of Marley. Marley is the transferred use of a long-established English surname of Anglo-Saxon origins and derived from a place name. The Olde English elements “mearth” meaning “marten” plus “lēah” meaning “wood clearing” gave birth to the location name Marley (most likely describing an area overrun with martens). A marten is a short-legged, bushy-tailed animal that lives in northern forests and trees. There are several places called Marley in England (e.g., Devon, Kent and West Yorkshire). Alternately, some etymologies believe that Marley originated as a nickname, from the Olde English word “myrig” meaning “pleasant” (describing a person’s general disposition). As a surname, Marley dates back to the 12th century, but usage of Marley as a given name (primarily female) began in the United States at the end of the 20th century. This may have been influenced by the reggae musician and Jamaican singer Bob Marley (1945-1981). Later Marley’s popularity as a given name was cemented by a popular book-turned-Hollywood-film called “Marley & Me” (2008). No surprise, Marley is also a common name for dogs.