Hobley is a surname. A possible meaning is "The little people from the meadow", derived from a combination of the words "''hob''" and "''ley''". In Middle English, the word "''hob''" means a hobgoblin, sprite, or elf, and "''ley''" is a grassy meadow. Despite the spelling, the name is pronounced with an "obb" not an "obe". This is probably because it is a combination of two words, and the pronunciation has not changed as the words have combined. Notable people with the name include: *

Amelia Dyer Amelia Elizabeth Hobley (1837 – 10 June 1896), popularly dubbed the Ogress of Reading, was an English serial killer who murdered infants in her care over a thirty-year period during the Victorian era.

(1837–1896; née Hobley), English serial killer and baby farmer *

Charles William Hobley Charles William Hobley, CMG (b. Chilvers Coton, Warwickshire, England in 1867; d. Oxted, Surrey on 31 March 1947) — known as C. W. Hobley — was a pioneering British Colonial administrator in Kenya. He served the Colonial Service in Kenya fr ...

(1867–1947), pioneering British colonial administrator in Kenya * Hannah Hobley (born 1988), British actress and singer * John William Dixon Hobley (1929–1993), British lawyer, Attorney General of Bermuda and then Hong Kong * Liffort Hobley (born 1962), American football player (born 1962) *

McDonald Hobley Dennys Jack Valentine McDonald-Hobley (9 June 1917 – 30 July 1987) was a British actor of stage and screen, radio and television broadcaster and compère, who was one of the earliest BBC Television continuity announcers, appearing on screen fr ...

(1917–1987), British actor, early television announcer, presenter and commentator *Pamela Hobley, American teenager who disappeared in 1969 * Peter Hobley Davison (1926–2002), British professor of English *

Tina Hobley Tina Ellen Hobley (born 20 May 1971) is an English actress and radio presenter, best known for her long-running role as Chrissie Williams in the BBC One medical drama series ''Holby City''. Hobley left Holby City in November 2013 after 12 years ...

(born 1971), British television actress and radio presenter

See also