The Cley Family Name

Cley is best understood together with Clay: both are English spellings of a single family name. In origin, the name means “Dweller on clay soil”.

• The same family of names includes Claye and Clayes.
• Cley sounds close to Coley, Colley and Cooley, so it can help to search both.
• Before spelling was fixed, Clay was also written Cley.
• Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard.

Heraldry and the Cley name

There is no single Cley family crest for every bearer. Herald Lab researches the arms historically associated with the name and explains whose they were. Get the complete Cley report, with a museum-style coat of arms.