Meaning and history
From an English surname derived from a place name, either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire, with the place names themselves ultimately from Old English anne “alone, solitary” or ansetl “hermitage” plus leah “woodland, clearing.” In the United States, the name became more popular in 2000 after a character with this name appeared on the television series The West Wing.
20062006: 693 births, rank #456
2007: 704 births, rank #458
2008: 719 births, rank #443
2009: 772 births, rank #412
2010: 898 births, rank #355
20112011: 891 births, rank #363
2012: 930 births, rank #341
2013: 974 births, rank #332
2014: 1,001 births, rank #337
2015: 967 births, rank #338
20162016: 970 births, rank #344
2017: 902 births, rank #352
2018: 774 births, rank #399
2019: 654 births, rank #478
2020: 872 births, rank #355
20212021: 845 births, rank #364
2022: 622 births, rank #507
2023: 498 births, rank #598
2024: 399 births, rank #704
20252025: 621 births, rank #483
Ainsley rose from #704 to #483 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2014, with 1,001 births.