What is "ashley"

fem. proper name, all but unknown before c.1965; one of the most popular names for girls born in U.S. from c.1980; evidently inspired by the surname Ashley, Ashleigh (attested from 12c.), which means "clearing among the ash trees," from Old English æsc + leah (see ash (n.2) + lea).

Ashley were manufacturer of body shells and chassis for specials from 1955 to 1962. They also offered a range of products for special builders: radiators, header tanks, lighting sets, steel tubing, sheet aluminium, various suspension parts, water pumps, tires, tubes and wheels. The company also made bonnets and hardtops for other mass-produced sports cars, including the Austin-Healey Sprite and Jaguar E-Type.

Ashley is a place name, a surname, and a unisex given name (traditionally male, Ashleigh is the traditional female form). The place name is derived from the Old English words "æsc" (ash) and "lēah" (meadow).

Ashley can also be spelled Ashlie, Ashlee, Ashly, Ashli, Ashleigh, Ashliegh, and Ashlaie.

Ashley is one of thirty-five council wards in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom. The ward contains the areas of Baptist Mills, Montpelier, St Andrew's, St Pauls and St Werburghs.

Ashley was a New Zealand electorate situated north of Christchurch. It was in use from 1866 to 1902, and was replaced with the Hurunui electorate.

Ashley is a 2013 film directed by Dean Ronalds.

Ashley , is a restaurant chain based in South Korea owned by the E-Land. As of 2014, the chain had over 140 retail stores in South Korea. Ashley is a buffet. It is a beef steak specialty store.

Ashley Colón, better known as la chica bomba (the bomb girl) (b. October 27, 1975, in Puerto Rico), is a Puerto Rican merengue artist singer. Mostly influenced by popular Puerto Rican singer and actress Iris Chacón, Ashley Colón began her successful career while leading a tropical music band Las Chicas del Clan, meaning "the girls of the clan". Her debut as a solo artist came in 1997 with the release of the album Yo Soy La Bomba, meaning "I am the bomb", the hit song of the same name,Yo Soy La Reina, meaning "I am the queen", followed that same year. A live performance with Elvis Crespo at the annual “Tu Música” awards ceremony. In 1999 Abrázame, meaning "hug me", became her international breakthrough, supported by a Latin American and U.S. tour. In 1999 she released a Tejano music CD called Sabor a Dulce, meaning "sweet taste" followed by a greatest hits CD in 2000 called Oro Merenguero, meaning "Merengue-like gold". She also released "El Poder de las Mujeres" ("the power of the women"). Her last CD release was "Estoy Loca" ("I am crazy") in 2003.

Ashley has charted on the Billboard Latin charts.

The name "Ashley" is of English origin, from a place name and surname from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) words 'æsc' ( ash) and ' lēah' (meadow, forest clearing).

As a given name, like most surnames turned into first names, Ashley was originally used only for male children. It was first recorded as a male given first/middle name in the 16th century and remained only male until around 350 years later. It was popularized by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury 1621-1683 (also known as Lord Ashley). Uses of the boys' name in popular culture are Ashley Wilkes from 1939's Gone with the Wind and Ash Williams (Ashley James Williams) from the 1982 Film Evil Dead. Ashley in the United Kingdom, where it originated, is predominantly male, ranking at #40 in 1996 for boys and staying within the top 100-300 male names given each year. Ashleigh is the traditional spelling of the female form of the name, however Ashley is also used for females.

Ashley gained immense popularity as a female first name in the United States in the late 20th century, outranking boys' usage by the 1980s and reaching #1 for girls' usage in 1991. Its rise in popularity is attributed to the female soap opera character Ashley Abbott on The Young and The Restless in 1982.

Ashley has not appeared in the top American baby boy names since 1994, but is still used 2%-8% of the time depending on year.

As with many names that achieve popularity, a number of spellings of Ashley emerged. The United States Social Security Administration has records of many different spellings, including Ashley, Ashleigh, Ashlee, Ashlie, Ashlyn, and foreign-looking variants such as Ashlé (pseudo-French).