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Home › Baby Names Directory › Ashlei

Ashlei

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Ashlei

Pronounced ASH-lee /ˈæʃ.li/Medium

Meaning: Ashlei is a variant spelling of Ashley, an Old English surname and place name from aesc ('ash tree') plus leah ('wood, clearing, meadow') — 'ash-tree meadow'. The -ei ending personalizes one of the defining girls' names of the 1980s and 90s while keeping the woodland meaning.Medium

In 30 seconds: Ashlei is Ashley respelled (said 'ASH-lee') — Old English for 'ash-tree meadow'.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningAshlei is a variant spelling of Ashley, an Old English surname and place name from aesc ('ash tree') plus leah ('wood, clearing, meadow') — 'ash-tree meadow'. The -ei ending personalizes one of the defining girls' names of the 1980s and 90s while keeping the woodland meaning.
U.S. rank (2014)#14802 ↘ Falling
2014 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1987
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,044

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198719712014

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ashlei rests on Ashley, from Old English aesc-leah, 'ash-tree meadow'. Once a boys' surname name, Ashley became a top girls' name in the 1980s, and its ubiquity spawned a flood of spellings — Ashlei, Ashleigh, Ashlee. The nature meaning is inherited from the parent.

It rose and crested with Ashley in 1987, then declined. Two clean syllables keep it bright. Because its appeal rode a peak that has passed, Ashlei reads firmly late-eighties; Ashley itself remains dated for now, and the -ei spelling has not revived on its own.

Did you know? Ashlei peaked in 1987, deep in the Ashley era; the -ei tail was one of countless ways parents individualized a name every classroom already had.
Overall data confidence 70%
References — Ashlei — Variant of Ashley; Old English 'ash-tree meadow'; 1987 peak

Variations

AshleyAshleighAshlee

Nicknames

AshLee

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Ashlei…

Ashley— the standard spelling Ashlei varies
Ashleigh— a sister spelling of the same name
Ashlyn— a like Ash- girls' name of the era
Kayleigh— a same-era -eigh/-ei spelling name

Explore names like Ashlei

By themenatureplace-namevariant-spellingeighties

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ashlei mean?

Ashlei is a variant of Ashley, from Old English meaning 'ash-tree meadow'.

How do you pronounce Ashlei?

It's said ASH-lee /ˈæʃ.li/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ashlei a boy or girl name?

Ashlei is used as a girl's name, a spelling of Ashley.

How popular is Ashlei?

Ashlei was one of many Ashley spellings that peaked in the late eighties and is rare now.

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