Ainsley
Ainsley was the 483rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 621 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 332nd; the most babies were born in 2014 (1,001). Over the last ten years it has moved down 145 places. More babies were named Ainsley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning solitary clearing or hermitage clearing · Old English
Say it AYNZ-lee /ˈeɪnzli/
- Rank in 2025
- #483 girls, down 128 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 621girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20141,001 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,896babies recorded
What does the name Ainsley mean?
Ainsley is an English surname from places such as Annesley in Nottinghamshire and Ansley in Warwickshire. Wiktionary derives these from Old English ān, "alone, solitary", or ānsetl, "hermitage", plus lēah, "wood, clearing". As a first name it is used for both boys and girls, mostly girls in the US.
ān (Old English, “one, solitary”)ānsetl (Old English, “hermitage”)lēah (Old English, “wood, clearing”)
How sure is this? Probable. Place-name derivation from Wiktionary; individual places should be checked in a place-name dictionary.
Related names: Ainslie, Annesley, Ansley.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ainsley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Ainsley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 426 since 1950, 8 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #483 | 621 |
| 2020 | #355 | 872 |
| 2010 | #355 | 898 |
| 2000 | #1,481 | 124 |
| 1990 | #1,735 | 84 |
| 1980 | #4,979 | 14 |
| 1970 | #6,371 | 7 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ainsley, counting every spelling?
Ainsley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #466 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #483 for Ainsley on its own. Together these spellings went to 685 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ainsley | 621 | #483 | 2,985 |
| Ainslee | 47 | #3,296 | 249 |
| Aynsley | 17 | #6,576 | 30 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ainsley?
621 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ainsley (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ainsley born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ainsley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ainsley?
About 20,300 people born in the US named Ainsley are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 8 and 20. That makes Ainsley mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ainsley by state
How common Ainsley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (2.5×), Mississippi (2.4×), Wisconsin (2.3×), Kansas (2.2×), Iowa (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Georgia, Nevada, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ainsley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ainsley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ainsley · Sibling names for Ainsley
Questions about the name Ainsley
What does Ainsley mean?
Ainsley means “solitary clearing or hermitage clearing” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Ainsley?
Ainsley was the 483rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 621 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 332nd; the most babies were born in 2014 (1,001). Over the last ten years it has moved down 145 places. More babies were named Ainsley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Ainsley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ainsley in the US.
Where is Ainsley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ainsley was most common in Vermont (1.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Hampshire and Nebraska.