English variant of Tilly, a diminutive of Matilda from Old German 'maht' (might) + 'hild' (battle).
Tilley carries the double life of a name that belongs equally to the English surname tradition and to the warm world of Victorian nicknames. As a surname, Tilley derives from several possible Old English and Norman French sources — it may reference a place name involving a linden tree ("til"), or originate from the Old French personal name Tilo, itself a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element "til," meaning "people" or "good." In English village records from the Middle Ages, Tilley appears as a place name in several counties, lending it the grounded, landscape-rooted quality common to British surnames.
As a given name, Tilley is most naturally understood as a variant of Tillie — the affectionate Victorian-era short form of Matilda, which itself descends from the Old High German Mahthildis, meaning "might in battle." Matilda was a powerful name in medieval England: it was borne by the Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I, who fought the civil war known as the Anarchy to claim the English throne in the twelfth century — one of the most formidable women in English medieval history. Tillie and Tilley caught the breezy, informal spirit of the late nineteenth century, when pet names were worn proudly in daily life.
Today, Tilley is experiencing gentle revival alongside Millie, Billie, and other friendly, vintage names ending in that warm "-ee" sound. It has the relaxed confidence of a name that doesn't try too hard — plucky, cheerful, and deeply English in its bones, yet light enough to travel anywhere.