English (of
Norman origin): habitational name from any of several places in
northern France named Corlay, for example in Côtes-du-Nord and
Indre, or possibly from Corlieu, the former name of La Rue Saint
Pierre in Oise. Reaney and Wilson suggest also it may have been a
variant of the nickname Curlew, after the bird, Anglo-Norman
French curleu.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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