Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Ashlee

Ashlee is a variant spelling of Ashley, a name which started out masculine, morphed into unisex, and is now mostly used on baby girls. Originally, Ashley developed as an Anglo-Saxon surname, derived from a place name. It finds its roots in the Olde English “æsc” meaning “ash” and “lēah” meaning “wood clearing, meadow” to identify various hamlets situated near an area cleared of ash trees (there are towns called Ashley in Cheshire, Northamptonshire, Kent, Staffordshire and Wiltshire, England, for instance). Surnames derived from place names were either assigned to prominent local landowners or lords of a manor. Location-based surnames were also given to folks who hailed from one town and relocated to another – one would have been given the last name Ashley, for instance, as a means of identification (i.e., the name of his birthplace). Surnames became important in the Middle Ages as a way of identifying citizens in order to tax them, and the surname Ashley first appeared in writing in the 12th century (rendered as Esselega, Aslegh and, finally, Ashley). The same name often looked and sounded quite different in medieval England due to the high rate of illiteracy and the radically different dialects spoken throughout the land. Ashley would not be recorded as a forename (or given name) until the 16th century, and it was only considered masculine back then. It would take another 400 years for Ashley to find her footing as a girl’s name in the 20th century (and now she’s widely considered almost exclusively feminine). Perhaps this has something to do with a certain Celtic influence. The similar sounding name “Aislinn” (pronounced “ASH-ling”) is an Irish girl’s name derived from the Gaelic word “aisling” meaning “dream, vision”. The type of dream is specific to a vision of a beautiful woman from the spirit world. Once dreamt, the dreamer can no longer be content again. She’s just too beautiful to remove from one’s memory. In any case, Ashley is a very popular baby girl’s name in the United States, and, as often happens with popular names, American parents like to mess around with the traditional spelling and produce new modifications such as Ashly, Ashlee and Ashleigh.

All About the Baby Name – Ashlee

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME ASHLEE

The number Five personality loves the excitement of life and can easily adapt to all situations. As natural adventurers, these personalities thrive on the new and unexpected and prefer to be in constant motion. It makes them feel alive. They'll stir up some action if there's not enough around, and as inherent risk-takers they enjoy pushing the envelope. Naturally rebellious, the Five personality has no fear and never resists change.  Traveling and new experiences feed their souls. Fives are very social and attract friends with ease. People love to be around the Five fun-loving and exciting energy.  This is also a lucky number in numerology (like the Threes), so fortune seems to shine on them, helped along by their own optimism and good-nature. Fives have a quick wit, a cerebral mind, and are generally very persuasive. 

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME ASHLEE

Ashlee with the double-e ending is the cutesy version of Ashley (or should we say “cutesee”). American naming trends in certain circles tend to favor the “-lee” suffix as evidenced by names such as Kaylee, Rylee, Haylee, Baylee, Charlee, Emilee and Marlee (just to mention a few). The “lee” suffix is definitely sweet and youthful, but it also lacks sophistication. Name choices really come down to personal preference, though, and what’s trendy in what peer groups. Ashley is for the more traditional parent. Ashleigh is for the fancy-pants parent, and Ashlee is for the casual, laid-back parent. No matter how you slice it, though, Ashley is a very modern girl’s name – only first appearing on the American female naming charts in 1964 (the name goes much further back on the boy’s chart). Despite the name’s newness, it only took her 15 years to hit the Top 100 list. And, between 1983 and 2001, Ashley was a Top 5 favorite nationwide – she even managed to secure position #1 in 1991 and 1992. It was on her way up the charts when she started spawning her spelling variants. Ashlee came along in 1976 and got as high as #112 on the charts in 1987. Today, however, sweet little Ashlee is much less popular. In fact, the Ashlee spelling actually dropped off America’s Top 1000 list in 2011 (yet Ashley remains on the Top 50).

Quick Facts

ON ASHLEE

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

ASH-lee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Ash clearing

Characteristics

OF ASHLEE

Freedom-loving

Adventurous

Adaptable

Intellectual

Easygoing

Progressive

Sensual

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Ashlee

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ASHLEE

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Ashlee

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ASHLEE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Ashlee


Popular Songs

ON ASHLEE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Ashlee


Famous People

NAMED ASHLEE

Ashlee Simpson (singer/actress)

Children of Famous People

NAMED ASHLEE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Ashlee

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ASHLEE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Ashlee