Ashley

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ˈæʃli/

Alternative forms

• Ashlee
• Ashleigh
• Ashlie

Origin

From Old English æsc ("ash tree") + leah ("wood, clearing").

Full definition of Ashley

Proper noun

1. A common English place name.
2. derived from the places.
3. transferred from the surname.
• 1936 Margaret Mitchell: Gone With the Wind: Chapter III:'There now, Scarlett! You admit it is true. What would you be doing with a husband like Ashley? 'Tis moonstruck they all are, all the Wilkes.'
4. transferred from the surname.
• 1999 Andrew Pyper: Lost Girls: Chapter Ten:But when Krystal McConnell and Ashley Flynn were named deep in the heart of the '80s the thing was cuteness, feminine delicacy raised to an aesthetic paradigm. --- And everyone named according to a particular version of the pedigree fantasy. Ashley : transplanted Southern privilege, a destiny lying in sorority mixers and a marriage of health club memberships, state-of-the-art appliances and night courses in nouvelle cuisine.
5. One of ten villages in England.
6. A city in Illinois.
7. A town in Indiana.
8. A village in Michigan.
9. A city/town in North Dakota.
10. A village/town in Ohio.
11. A borough in Pennsylvania.

Usage notes

Ashley was originally a male given name, but since the sixties it has also been given to women, particularly in the US, where it was the top name for girls in 1991 and 1992.

Derived terms

• Ashley County

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