# Risley

> English word · Proper noun · frequency rank #78,081

## Definitions
1. A placename:
2. A placename:
3. A habitational surname from Old English.

## Etymology
From Old English hrīs (“twig, branch; brushwood”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”); equivalent to rice + -ley (“lea”). The circus term comes from the name of Richard Risley Carlisle (1814–1874), who developed this kind of act in the United States.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/risley