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 (1837–1896; née Hobley), English serial killer and baby farmer Charles William Hobley (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 (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 (born 1971), British television actress and radio presenter
See also Anthene hobleyi, also known as the Hobley's hairtail