It would appear unlikely that the name comes from any one place in England, as a number of hamlets have been known as Cobley or similar throughout history. The earliest references to the place name are to be found in the Doomsday Book, which was commissioned by King William I in 1086 in order to get a detailed account of the lands he and his tenants held. Land to two ploughs. There are now two ploughs in the demesne, and four villanes, and four bordars, and one bondman, have one plough. There is a priest and a church, and mill of 12d.
Wood pasture one mile long and one mile broad.
This is unusual in that a church is mentioned which suggests the place was of some importance to the English before the Norman invasion of 1066, and in fact, the remains of an early Hall, moat and village can still be seen today, as can the church. This suggests that the name could be spelt in a number of ways and that there was no standardisation until much later. The name of Cobley appears in a number of areas in England over many centuries and spelt in a variety of ways. The spelling, more often than not, being at the mercy of the transcriber. At Nottingham we find John de Cobeley in 1316 and Richard de Cobbelaye in 1324.