Ensley
Ensley was the 845th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 322 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 587th with 495 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,687 places. More babies were named Ensley in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning English surname (origin uncertain) · English
Say it ENZ-lee /ˈɛnzli/
- Rank in 2025
- #845 girls, down 258 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 322girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2020495 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,810babies recorded
What does the name Ensley mean?
Ensley is an English surname used as a first name, mostly for girls in recent years. Its origin is not documented in the references we checked. It is probably a variant of Ainsley or Annesley, surnames from places in Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire whose names end in Old English lēah 'clearing'; the first element is uncertain. Ensley, Alabama, was named after the industrialist Enoch Ensley. Its recent popularity follows names like Kinsley and Paisley.
lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. No dictionary gives a firm origin; the Ainsley/Annesley link is a likely guess.
Related names: Ainsley, Ansley, Kinsley.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ensley', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ainsley', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Ensley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 16 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #845 | 322 |
| 2020 | #587 | 495 |
| 2010 | #5,296 | 26 |
| 2000 | #10,153 | 9 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ensley, counting every spelling?
Ensley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #686 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #845 for Ensley on its own. Together these spellings went to 414 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ensley | 322 | #845 | 1,620 |
| Enslee | 23 | #5,458 | 163 |
| Enzley | 40 | #3,734 | 155 |
| Enzlee | 17 | #6,623 | 96 |
| Enslie | 7 | #12,293 | 35 |
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 Ensley?
322 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ensley (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ensley 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 26 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ensley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ensley?
About 3,800 people born in the US named Ensley are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 4 and 8. That makes Ensley a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Ensley by state
How common Ensley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (3.0×), Alabama (2.9×), Kansas (2.8×), Missouri (2.7×), Ohio (2.2×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ensley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ensley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ensley · Sibling names for Ensley
Questions about the name Ensley
What does Ensley mean?
Ensley is usually explained as “English surname (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Ensley?
Ensley was the 845th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 322 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 587th with 495 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,687 places. More babies were named Ensley in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Ensley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ensley in the US.
Where is Ensley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ensley was most common in Tennessee (0.59 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and West Virginia.