Ashley (given name)

Ashley (given name)
Ashley is a given name which was originally an Old English surname. It is derived from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) words æsc (ash) and lēah and translates to "Dweller near the ash tree meadow".
Regional variations
England and Wales
The use of Ashley as a first name began in England after 1860, likely in honour of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, a social reformer styled Lord Ashley. It was used more intensely starting in the 1970's. Appearances of the boys' name in popular culture include Ashley Wilkes in 1939's Gone with the Wind and Ash Williams (Ashley Williams) in the 1981 film The Evil Dead.
Ashley in England and Wales was used predominately for boys, ranking at #33 in 1994 for boys and staying within the top 100–300 male names given each year. Ashley was used for English girls but the Ashleigh spelling was preferred, reaching a rank of #55 in 1994.
Scotland
Ashley was popular for girls from the 1970s and peaked in popularity in 1987 ranking #10 for girls.
Ireland
Ashley is generally more common for Irish born girls than boys, with the Ashleigh spelling being almost as popular and only ranking for girls.
Australia
Ashley entered the top 100 names for boys in New South Wales in 1971 but became more popular for girls in 1986. It reached a ranking of #17 for girls in 1987, and left the top 100 in 2011. It reached a ranking of #56 in 1985 for boys. For women, the Ashleigh spelling is as common as Ashley and reached a ranking of #13 in 1990.
United States of America
In the 1940s, Americans started using the Ashley for girls and was more common for girls starting in 1964. Ashley was considered a surname style name at the time. In the 1980s the name had a rise in popularity attributed to the female soap opera character Ashley Abbott who emerged on the still-running TV series The Young and the Restless in 1982. Spelling variants of the name such as Ashlee, Ashleigh, and Ashlie are also in use.
Notable men with this given name
Ashley Ambrose (born 1970), American football
Ashley Banjo, English dancer with the dance troupe Diversity.
Ashley Barnes (born 1989), English footballer playing for Burnley FC
Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand public health official
Ashley Bryan (1923-2022), American writer
Ashley Buchholz, Canadian musician and member of alternative/dance duo Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Ashley Cain (footballer) (born 1990), English ex-footballer
Ashley Callus (born 1979), Australian swimmer
Ashley Carrington, pseudonym of German writer Rainer M. Schröder
Ashley Church (born 1964), New Zealand Property commentator
Ashley Cole (born 1980), English footballer
Ashley Cooper (tennis) (born 1936), Australian tennis player
Ashley Fisher (born 1975), Australian tennis player
Ashley Giles (born 1973), English cricketer
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 Leechin, American social media personality and nurse
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 (born 1984), bassist and backing vocalist of the American rock band Black Veil Brides
Ashley Remington (born 1986), American pro wrestler in Chikara
Ashley Rice (born 1986), English actor
Ashley Sampi (born 1983), Australian rules footballer
Ashley Sexton (born 1987), British professional boxer
Ashley Sheppard (born 1969), American football player
Ashley Slater (born 1961), British musician
Ashley Smith (Australian footballer) (born 1990), Australian rules footballer
Ash Stymest (Ashley Stymest, born 1991), British model, songwriter
Ashley Taylor Dawson (born 1982), British actor
Ashley Theophane (born 1980), British professional boxer
Ashley Vincent (born 1985), English footballer
Ashley Wallbridge (born 1988), English DJ, producer and remixer
Ashley Walters (actor) (born 1982), British actor
Ashley Walters (artist) (born 1983), South African photographer
Ashley Ward (born 1970), English footballer
Ashley Westwood (footballer, born 1976), English footballer and football manager
Ashley Westwood (footballer, born 1990), English footballer
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 Zukerman (born 1983), Australian actor
Notable women with this given name
Ashley (singer) (Ashley Colon; born 1971), Puerto Rican merengue singer
Ashley Argota (born 1993), American actress
Ashley Audrain (born 1982), Canadian author
Ashley Benson (born 1989), American actress
Ashley Benton, American girl who killed Gabriel Granillo in 2006
Ashley Biden (born 1981), daughter of the current president of America. Also a social worker, activist, philanthropist, and fashion designer
Ashley Nicole Black, American comedian
Ashley Blue (born 1981), American porn star
Ashley Bouder (born 1983), American ballet dancer
Ashley C. Bradley, an American screenwriter
Ashley Brown (soccer) (born 1994), Australian footballer
Ashley Callie (1976–2008), South African actress
Ashley Cariño (born 1994), Puerto Rican-American model and beauty pageant titleholder
Ashley Dalton, British politician
Ashley Dupree (born 1985), American prostitute-turned-sex columnist
Ashley Eckstein (born 1981), American actress
Ashley Fliehr (born 1986), American professional wrestler best known as Charlotte Flair
Ashley Force Hood (born 1982), American drag racer
Ashley Frangipane (born 1994), known professionally as Halsey, American singer and songwriter
Ashley Freiberg (born 1991), American racing driver
Ashley Grace (musician) (born 1987), American singer-songwriter
Ashley Greene (born 1987), American actress
Ashley Grossman (born 1993), American water polo player
Ashley Harkleroad (born 1985), American professional tennis player
Ashley Henley (1981–2021), American politician
Ashley Horn, media personality
Ashley Jensen (born 1969), British actress
Ashley Johnson (born 1983), American voice actress and singer
Ashley Judd (born 1968 as Ashley Tyler Ciminella), American actress
Ashley Leggat (born 1986), Canadian actress
Ashley Liao (born 2001), American actress
Ashley Madekwe (born 1983), English actress
Ashley Massaro (1979–2019), American professional wrestler and model
Ashley Monroe (born 1986), American singer-songwriter
Ashley Nee (born 1989), American slalom canoeist
Ashley Newbrough (born 1987), American actress
Ashley Olsen (born 1986), American actress and businesswoman
Ashley Ortega (born 1998), Filipina actress and professional figure skater
Ashley Paris (born 1987), American basketball player
Ashley Peldon (born 1984), American actress
Ashley Roberts (born 1981), member of The 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 (author) (born 1978), the hostage held by Brian Nichols
Ashley Spillers (born 1986), American actress
Ashley Tisdale (born 1985), American singer and actress
Ashley Wagner (born 1991), American figure skater
Ashley Whitney (born 1979), American freestyle swimmer
Ashley Williams (actress) (born 1978), American actress
Ashley X (born 1997), the pillow angel from Seattle; subject of the Ashley Treatment
Fictional characters
Ash Williams, protagonist in the Evil Dead film series
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 Barnstormer, an antagonist in the America web series Video Game High School
Ashley Barton / Spider-Bitch, a Marvel Comics supervillain
Ashley Bernitz, an antagonist in the game Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
Ashley Graham, a Resident Evil 4 character
Ashley Hammond, a Power Rangers character
Ashley Juergens, a character in the teen drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Ash Ketchum, the main character in the Pokémon TV show
Ashley Kerwin, a character in Canadian drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation
Ashley Magnus, a character in the science fiction-fantasy series Sanctuary
Ashley Mizuki Robbins, heroine in the Another Code video game series
Ashley Peacock, a character from the British soap opera Coronation Street
Ashley Riot, protagonist in the Vagrant Story video game
Ashley Spinelli & The Ashleys, characters in the children's television series Recess
Ashley Thomas, a character in the British soap opera Emmerdale
Ashley Wilkes, central character in the 1936 novel Gone With the Wind
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 role-playing video game Wild Arms 2
Ashley, a character in the cartoon series School for Vampires
Ashley, twin sister of Alissa in the TV series Barney & Friends
Ashley, a character in the WarioWare series
Ask Ashley, comedy skit appearing on the Nickelodeon show All That
See also
Aisling (given name)
Leigh (disambiguation)
Lee (given name)
Lee (English surname)
Ashleigh, a page for people with the given name "Ashleigh"
References
English unisex given names
English masculine given names
Masculine given names
English feminine given names
English-language unisex given names
English-language masculine given names
English-language feminine given names
Feminine given names
English-language surnames
Given names inspired by popular culture
Given names originating from a surname
Unisex given names