Ashley
/ˈæʃ.li/noun
A surname and given name originally from a place name meaning a clearing or meadow with ash trees.
Did you know?Ashley began as an English place name and surname from Old English elements for “ash tree” + “clearing/meadow,” long before it became a popular first name.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
æsc + lēah
““ash tree” + “clearing, woodland meadow””
Middle English
ME
Ashley
“A place name meaning a clearing where ash trees grew”
Late Medieval English
English
de Ashley / Ashley
“A surname taken from the place name”
19th–20th Century
English
Ashley
“A given name adopted from the surname, later used for all genders”