Fun Facts About the Name Ensley
- More than 3 thousand babies named Ensley: U.S. records list 3,808 babies given the name Ensley from 1880 through 2025. Even 16 boys received the name Ensley - about 1 boy for every 237 girls.
What Does the Name Ensley Mean?
Ensley is an English surname used as a given name, and its meaning is not fully settled. Its ending corresponds to the common Old English element lēah, which means "woodland," "clearing," or "glade" and appears in many English place names and surnames ending in -ley. The first part of the name is the uncertain piece: it may be an Old English personal name or a descriptive word attached to lēah, but the specific source has not been securely identified, so no single literal meaning can be given with confidence.
Some references group Ensley with similar-looking surnames such as Ansley or Ainsley, which trace to different English places. A shared appearance does not by itself prove a shared origin, and the relationship between these names remains unclear rather than established.
Ensley Name History & Origins
Ensley began as an English surname. Surnames of this kind were generally taken from the name of a place where a family lived or held land, and a name ending in -ley usually points to a settlement named with Old English lēah. The surname is found in England and was carried to North America by emigrants.
In the United States the surname also survives as a place name: the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, preserves it. As a first name, Ensley fits the long American habit of converting family surnames into given names, a practice that grew through the twentieth century and has been applied to both boys and girls. Its life as a given name is a modern development compared with its older use as a surname, and no particular person or work is known to account for its adoption.
How Popular is the Name Ensley?
Ensley recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2020. Its best rank was #588 in 2020.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #845 | 322 | 0.0200% |
| 2024 | #907 | 292 | 0.0181% |
| 2023 | #878 | 306 | 0.0191% |
| 2022 | #828 | 339 | 0.0207% |
| 2021 | #787 | 361 | 0.0220% |
| 2020 | #588 | 494 | 0.0306% |
| 2019 | #667 | 434 | 0.0259% |
| 2018 | #674 | 434 | 0.0255% |
| 2017 | #969 | 271 | 0.0157% |
| 2016 | #2,415 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 2015 | #2,532 | 71 | 0.0040% |
| 2014 | #2,624 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 2013 | #2,608 | 68 | 0.0039% |
| 2012 | #3,110 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2011 | #3,940 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2010 | #5,296 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2009 | #6,646 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #7,517 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #7,843 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #6,669 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #8,490 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #8,407 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #9,895 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #11,444 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #12,463 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #10,152 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #12,591 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | #11,502 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1945 | #3,466 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1916 | #4,108 | 5 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ensley Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Ensley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ensley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.