Ashley ( name ) - wikipedia Ashley ( name ) For other uses, see Ashley ( disambiguation ). Ashley Pronunciation / ˈæʃli / Gender Unisex Language ( s ) English Origin Meaning Ash tree meadow Ashley is an English unisex given name, originally a place name and surname. It is derived from the Old English ( Anglo - Saxon ) words æsc ( ash ) and lēah ( meadow, forest clearing ). Ashley was originally used only for male children. It is a surname that turned into a first name. It was first recorded as a male given first / middle name in the 16th century and remained only male until around 350 years later. It was popularized by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury 1621 -- 1683 ( also known as Lord Ashley ). Uses of the boys ' name in popular culture are Ashley Wilkes from 1939 's Gone with the Wind and Ash Williams ( Ashley James Williams ) from the 1981 film The Evil Dead. Ashley in the United Kingdom remains predominantly male, ranking at # 40 in 1996 for boys and staying within the top 100 -- 300 male names given each year. Ashleigh is the traditional spelling of the female form, with Ashley remaining traditionally male across the country. Although Ashley is sometimes used for British females, it has dropped off the top U.K. female name charts since 2011. In the United States, Ashley gained popularity as a female first name in the late 20th century, outranking boys ' usage by the 1980s and reaching # 1 for girls ' usage in 1991. Its rise in popularity is attributed to the female soap opera character Ashley Abbott on The Young and The Restless in 1982. Ashley has not appeared in the top 1000 American baby boy names since 1994. As with many names that achieve popularity, a number of spellings of Ashley emerged. The United States Social Security Administration has records of many different spellings, including Ashley, Ashleigh, Ashlee, Ashlie, Ashlyn, and foreign - looking variants such as Ashlé ( pseudo-French ) for example, Ashlé Dawson. Contents 1 People 1.1 First name, male 1.2 First name, female 1.3 First name, variant spellings 1.4 Surname 2 Animals 3 In fiction 4 Popularity of the female name in the United States 5 See also 6 References People First name, male Ashley Ambrose ( born 1970 ), American football player Ashley Buchholz, Canadian musician and member of alternative / dance duo Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker Ashley Cain ( born 1990 ), English ex-footballer Ashley Callus ( born 1979 ), Australian swimmer Ashley Carrington, ( pseudonym of German writer Rainer M. Schröder ) Ashley Cole ( born 1980 ), English footballer Ashley Cooper ( tennis ) ( born 1936 ), Australian tennis player Ashley Taylor Dawson ( born 1982 ), British actor Ashley Fisher ( born 1975 ), Australian tennis player Ashley Giles ( born 1973 ), English cricketer Ashley Hames ( born 1970 ), English television presenter Ashley Hansen ( born 1983 ), Australian rules footballer Ashley Hicks ( born 1963 ), British architect Ashley Horne ( born 1989 ), English musician / comedian and member of the group The Midnight Beast Ashley Hutchings ( born 1945 ), British folk musician Ashley Johnson ( rugby union ) ( born 1986 ), South African rugby player Ashley Jones ( born 1980 ), real name of American music producer Treasure Fingers Ashley Lelie ( born 1980 ), American football player Ashley MacIsaac ( born 1975 ), Canadian professional fiddler Ashley McIntosh ( born 1972 ), Australian rules footballer Ashley Montagu ( 1905 -- 1999 ), British anthropologist and humanist Ashley Parker Angel ( born 1981 ), American singer, songwriter and actor Ashley Purdy, bassist and backing vocalist of the American rock band Black Veil Brides Ashley Remington, an American pro wrestler in Chikara Ashley Sampi ( born 1983 ), Australian rules footballer Ashley Sexton ( born 1987 ), British professional boxer Ashley Sheppard ( born 1969 ), American football player Ashley Smith ( born 1990 ), Australian rules footballer Ashley Slater ( born 1961 ), British musician Ash Stymest ( Ashley Stymest, born 1991 ), British Model, Songwriter Ashley Theophane ( born 1980 ), British professional boxer Ashley Vincent ( born 1985 ), English footballer Ashley Wallbridge ( born 1988 ), English DJ, producer and remixer Ashley Walters ( born 1982 ), British Actor Ashley Williams ( boxer ) ( born 1991 ), Welsh professional soldier and heavyweight boxer Ashley Wood ( born 1971 ), Australian comic book and concept artist Ashley Young ( born 1985 ), English footballer Ashley Westwood ( born 1990 ), English footballer Ashley Zukerman ( born 1983 ), Australian actor First name, female Ashley Argota ( born 1993 ), American actress Ashley Benson ( born 1989 ), American actress Ashley Black ( born 1986 ), American cheerleader Ashley Blue ( born 1981 ), American porn star Ashley Brown ( soccer ) ( born 1994 ), Australian footballer Ashley Colon ( born 1971 ), Puerto Rican merengue singer Ashley Dupree ( born 1985 ), American prostitute - turned - sex columnist Ashley Eckstein ( born 1981 ), American actress Ashley Ann Erickson ( born 1985 ), real name of porn star Teagan Presley Ashley Fliehr ( born 1986 ), American professional wrestler best known as Charlotte Flair Ashley Force Hood ( born 1982 ), American drag racer Ashley Freiberg ( born 1991 ), American racing driver Ashley Graham ( various people ) Ashley Greene ( born 1987 ), American actress Ashley Harkleroad ( born 1985 ), American tennis player Ashley Horn, media personality Ashley Jensen ( born 1969 ), British actress Ashley Johnson ( born 1983 ), American actress and singer Ashley Judd ( born 1968 as Ashley Tyler Ciminella ), American actress Ashley Leggat ( born 1986 ), Canadian actress Ashley Massaro ( born 1979 ), American playboy model, professional wrestler, and former WWE Diva Ashley Madekwe ( born 1983 ), English actress Ashley Monroe ( born 1986 ), American singer - songwriter Ashley Nee ( born 1989 ), American slalom canoeist Ashley Olsen ( born 1986 ), American actress and businesswoman Ashley Oubré ( born 1984 ), American artist Ashley Paris ( born 1987 ), American basketball player Ashley Peldon ( born 1984 ), American actress Ashley Roberts ( born 1981 ), pop singer with the band Pussycat Dolls Ashley Scott ( born 1977 ), American actress and model Ashley Simmons ( born 1986 ), American professional wrestler also known as Ashley Lane and best known as Madison Rayne Ashley Slanina - Davies ( born 1989 ), British actress Ashley Smith ( born 1978 ), the hostage held by Brian Nichols Ashley Spalding ( born 1980 ), real name of porn star Kaylani Lei Ashley Tisdale ( born 1985 ), American singer and actress Ashley Wagner ( born 1991 ), American figure skater Ashley Whitney ( born 1979 ), American freestyle swimmer Ashley Williams ( born 1978 ), American actress Ashley X ( born 1997 ), the pillow angel from Seattle, the subject of the Ashley Treatment First name, variant spellings Ashlie Atkinson ( born 1977 ), American actress Ashleigh Ball ( born 1983 ), Canadian voice actress and musician Ashleigh Banfield ( born 1967 ), Canadian - American journalist Ashleigh Barty ( born 1996 ), Australian professional tennis player Ashleigh Brilliant ( born 1933 ), British author and cartoonist Ashleigh Brewer ( born 1990 ), Australian actress Ashlynn Brooke ( born 1985 ), American pornographic actress Ashly Burch ( born 1990 ), American actress, singer and writer Ashleigh Butler ( born 1995 ), dancer in the Ashleigh and Pudsey act from Britain 's Got Talent Ashly DelGrosso ( born 1982 ), American professional dancer Ashlee Evans - Smith ( born 1987 ), American mixed martial artist Ashlee Holland ( born 1979 ), American actress, dancer and model Ashleigh Aston Moore ( 1981 -- 2007 ), Canadian actress Ashlee Palmer ( born 1986 ), American football linebacker Ashlee Simpson ( born 1984 ), American pop / rock singer and actress Ashlee Vance ( born 1977 ), American business columnist Surname Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley ( 1836 -- 1907 ), English writer and politician Benedict Ashley ( 1915 -- 2013 ), American theologian and philosopher Bernard Ashley ( 1926 -- 2009 ), British businessman and engineer, husband of Laura Ashley Bernard Ashley ( born 1935 ), British author of children 's books Charles S. Ashley ( 1858 -- 1941 ), long - serving Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts Elizabeth Ashley ( born 1939 ), American actress Helmut Ashley ( born 1919 ), Austrian film director Henry Ashley ( 1778 -- 1829 ), U.S. congressman from New York Ian Ashley ( born 1947 ), former British Formula 1 race car driver Jack Ashley, Baron Ashley of Stoke ( 1922 -- 2012 ), British Life Peer and former Labour MP Jackie Ashley ( born 1954 ), British journalist James Mitchell Ashley ( 1824 -- 1896 ), U.S. congressman ( Ohio ), territorial governor ( Montana ) John Ashley ( disambiguation ), several people Laura Ashley ( 1925 -- 1985 ), British designer Liam Ashley ( died 2006 ), New Zealand teenager murdered in a prison van Lynn H. Ashley ( 1885 -- 1974 ), American politician Maurice Ashley ( historian ) ( 1907 -- 1994 ), editor Maurice Ashley ( born 1966 ), American chess grandmaster Merrill Ashley ( living ), former New York City Ballet principal dancer Mike Ashley ( disambiguation ), several people Robert Ashley ( born 1930 ), American composer Steve Ashley ( born 1946 ), British singer - songwriter Syd Ashley ( 1880 -- 1959 ), South African rugby union player Thomas W.L. Ashley ( 1923 -- 2010 ), American politician William Ashley ( disambiguation ), several people Animals Ashley Whippet ( c. 1971 -- 1985 ), the first famous disc dog In fiction Ashley, a character in the cartoon series School for Vampires Ashley, a character in the Warioware series Ashley, a character in the video game Until Dawn Ashley Abbott, a character in the America soap opera The Young and the Restless Ashley Banks, a character in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air Ashley Hammond, the yellow ranger in Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers In Space Ashley Juergens, a character in the teen drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager Ashley Kerwin, a character in Canadian drama series Degrassi : The Next Generation Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the Pokémon television series Ashley Marin, a character in the teen drama Pretty Little Liars Ashley Magnus, a character in the science fiction - fantasy series Sanctuary Ashley Peacock, a character from the British soap opera Coronation Street Ashley Riot, Male Sole Playable Character In Vagrant Story PS1 Game Ashley Mizuki Robbins, heroine in the Another Code video game series Ashley Spinelli & The Ashleys, characters in the children 's television series Recess Ashley Wilkes, central character from the novel Gone With the Wind Ash Williams, the protagonist of the Evil Dead film series Ashley Williams ( Mass Effect ), female soldier in the Mass Effect video game series named after the Evil Dead character Ashley Winchester, the main character of the role - playing video game Wild ARMs 2 Ask Ashley, comedy skit appearing on the Nickelodeon show, All That Ashley Bernitz, an antagonist in the game Ace Combat 5 : The Unsung War Popularity of the female name in the United States Year of birth Rank 2014 67 13 2009 20 2008 18 2007 13 2006 12 2005 10 8 2003 8 2002 22 2000 1999 6 See also Aisling ( given name ), from Irish ( Gaelic ) ; pronounced / ˈæʃlɪn / ASH - lin ) or / ˈæʃliːn / ASH - leen ) Leigh, Old English for `` a woodland clearing '' Lee ( given name ) Lee ( English surname ) References Jump up ^ `` Ashley -- Name Meaning, What does Ashley mean ? ''. Jump up ^ `` Ashley -- Baby Name -- Meaning & Popularity ''. Jump up ^ `` Ashley as a first name or baby name ''. Jump up ^ SueKunkel. `` Popular Baby Names ''. Jump up ^ `` Popular Baby Names ''. Retrieved 19 April 2012. Name list This page or section lists people that share the same given name or the same family name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ashley_(name)&oldid=857070276 '' Categories : Given names Surnames English unisex given names English masculine given names English feminine given names English - language unisex given names English - language masculine given names English - language feminine given names Unisex given names Hidden categories : Articles with short description All set index articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Italiano עברית Norsk Polski Српски / srpski Edit links This page was last edited on 29 August 2018, at 10 : 56 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what's the meaning of the name ashley
Answer: Ash tree meadow