Ainsley
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Meaning
used in Scotland, from a surname linked to the English places Annesley or Ansley, whose names contain a word for woodland or clearing
The story
Ainsley comes through an English surname linked to Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The first name is also used in Scotland, but the places behind this derivation are English. Both place names contain an old word for woodland or a clearing. Their first parts are less certain: accounts of Annesley suggest a personal name or the idea of being alone, while Ansley probably refers to a hermitage, a place where someone lived apart.
Ainsley has been used for men and women. British viewers may know Ainsley Harriott, who trained in professional kitchens before becoming a BBC chef and presenting Ready, Steady, Cook. American birth records also contain boys named Ainsley well before the name’s much larger recent use for girls.
In the television drama The West Wing, Ainsley Hayes arrives as a Republican analyst who wins a televised debate against a presidential aide. The president, from the opposing party, offers her a job. The character first appeared in 2000. American birth records show a sharp rise in girls named Ainsley during that decade and another increase in the next, though they do not show whether the character influenced parents’ choices.
How popular is Ainsley around the world?
In the United States, 3,904 babies were named Ainsley between 2020 and 2025.
Ainsley is on the official records of the United States, Canada, Scotland and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 5,600
In the United States, 3,904 babies were named Ainsley between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ainsley peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Canada
1 in 7,000
In Canada, 52 girls named Ainsley were born in 2024, the 555th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
1 in 11,000
In Scotland, 4 girls named Ainsley were registered in 2024, the 638th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 53,000
In England and Wales, 11 girls named Ainsley were born in 2025, ranked 2,440th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Mexico City City
last on record 2016
Ainsley is not on the 2022 record for Mexico City, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
South Australia
last on record 2016
Ainsley is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in Spain, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Ainsley
Most people given the name Ainsley in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Ainsley deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ainsley truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ainsley fits with your family’s names and surname.
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