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 [ 2 syll. ai-(n)sley, ain-sl-ey ] The girl name Ainsley is pronounced EYNSLiy KEY. Ainsley has its origins in the Old English language. It is used largely in English and Scottish. The first name is derived from the surname; the latter was borne by an ancient and powerful family in the Scottish borders. The family name is from the name of an English village, either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The former is derived from the elements an ('one, only') and leah ('wood, clearing, meadow'), and the latter from ansetl ('hermitage, solitary') and leah ('wood, clearing, meadow'). A variant form of the name is the English Ansley. The spelling variants Ainslee (English and Scottish), Ainslie (English and Scottish), and Aynsley (English) are other forms of Ainsley. See also the related form, the English, French, and German Anne. Ainsley is rather popular as a baby girl name, and it is also regarded as rather trendy. The name has been rising in popularity since the 2000s; prior to that, it was of only very light use. At the modest peak of its usage in 2004, 0.038% of baby girls were named Ainsley. It was #398 in rank then. In 2008, it ranked at #441 with a usage of 0.035%, and it was the most popular out of all girl names in its family. Ainsley was used 15% more than the 2nd most popular name, the English, French, and German Anne, in 2008. Baby names that sound like Ainsley include the English and Scottish Ainslee, the English Aynsley, the Irish Aingeal, the English and Scottish Ainslie, the English Angel, and the English Angelle. KEY: Pronunciation for Ainsley: EY as in "ate (EY.T)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)"   |
