hayley

This female name derives from the Old English name “Eadwine”, composed of two elements: the Anglo-Saxon “hīġ / hīeġ”, which in turn derives from the Proto-Germanic "*hawją", meaning “Grass cut and dried for use as animal fodder, Any mix of green leafy plants used for fodder” plus the Old English “*lēah”, meaning “woodland, a clearing ‘especially one used for farming’, a meadow”. The name was made famous by the child actress Hayley Mills. Mills was 12 when she was discovered by J. Lee Thompson, who was initially looking for a boy to play the lead role in Tiger Bay. Walt Disney's wife, Lillian Disney, saw her performance and suggested that Mills be given the lead role in Pollyanna.