The name ADDERLIE is a locational name meaning 'of Atherley' which is a parish in County Salop, pronounced Adderley. The name was originally derived fron the old English word 'Ealdred' literally meaning 'the dweller in the wood clearing.' Almost every city, town or village extant in the Middle Ages has served to name one or more families. While a man lived in a town or village he would not be known by its name, as that would be no means of identification - all in the village would be so named. But when a man left his birthplace or village where he had been known and went elsewhere, people would likely refer to him by the name of his former residence or by the name of the land which he owned. Some had the name of a manor or village because they were lords of that place and owned it, but the majority descend from vassals of freeman who once had lived there. Early records of the name include Henrt de Addreleg of County Salop at the time of Henry III-Edward I and Roger de Addeleg of County Wiltshire at the same time. Ralph Adderley of County Linconshire was registered at Oxford University in the year 1574-5 as was Ralph Adderley of County Staffordshire in 1585 and Humphrey Adderley of County Warwickshire in 1599. William Cuttler and Ruth Adderley are documented at St.Michael, Cornhill in the year 1686. In North America some of the early migrants who settled in Philadelphia were a John Adderley in 1734 and Edward Adderly arrived there in 1760.

Surnames before the Norman Conquest of 1066 were rare in England having been brought by the Normans when William the Conqueror invaded the shores. The practice spread to Scotland and Ireland by the 12th century, and in Wales they appeared as late as the 16th century. Most surnames can be traced to one of four sources, locational, from the occupation of the original bearer, nicknames or simply font names based on the first name of the parent being given as the second name to their child.