Why people always think that ASHLEY is only a girl's name?

Question

This name is also a man's name because in the U.K, there are boys that have this name. For example, U.K soccer player ASHLEY COLE ( He's a man). Why do you think in the U.S.A. is only used as a girl's name?

Thank you!!!

Answer 1

because in the states..

people stick to about 3 names per gender,

and ashley just didn't make the boys' cut.

Answer 2

There are boy Ashley's here, but the name is extremely girly and any good parent would not name a boy this.  

Answer 3

Dana and Leslie were men's names in past generations, but now most of them are female.  Same thing with Ashley.  George Hamilton (the actor) has a son named Ashley- he was married to Shannon Daugherty of 90210 fame, so it is still used for "younger" guys, but it's fairly uncommon.  My name Gale is considered unisex, but many are women.  Times change, names evolve, and ideally there won't be many "boys named Sue".

Answer 4

Because in the USA it is very commonly used as a girl name. VERY rarely for a boy! To me it sounds girly, I like Ashton better for a guy.

Answer 5

Why is John only a boys name? Why is the sky blue? Why is grass green?

No one knows. Its just the ways of the universe.  

Answer 6

Because of how we never really see any male Ashleys too often.

Answer 7

I live in the U.S. and I know that Ashley is also a boy's name.  I think it was actually used for boys before girls. However, now days not many people name their sons Ashley.  Many more people name their daughter that so when people think of the name, they generally associate it with a girl they knew.

Answer 8

It has a feminine tone to it. I personally wouldn't name any future boys I may have Ashley.

Answer 9

I don't think all Americans think it's "only" a girl's name.  It's a masculine name according to the baby books.  In American it is predominantly used for the female s*x.  I would imagine that is why most people think of it as a woman's name.

Answer 10

I know of two guys named Ashley in the US and no one has ever said anything to them about their names being a girls name. So I dont think it really is just a girls name and in the old days it was a guys name. No big deal but I'm sure now days a kid would probably get bet on a playground for that name.  

Answer 11

Because they obviously haven't read Gone With the Wind.

Answer 12

lol i don't know, but i guess it just registers in the mind its a girls name lol my name is ashley btw. I'm a girl though. And i thought it was only a girls name too, but it can work for a guy too.  

Answer 13

I think that because in the USA it's used more commonly as a girl's name.  

Answer 14

I'm not sure why people think it is only a girls name.. but If you like it for you child then you should do what makes you happy...  

Answer 15

I know!

I have a friend(a boy)and his name is Ashley! There were some famous movie stars with the name Ashley that were boys.

It's like Leslie.

And I hate how some people assume Dylan is only a boy's name!

Answer 16

Because its so girly, although technically it is a unisex name...it just doesn't sound right for a boy.

Answer 17

I totally agree, i live in Australia and its quite a common boy name. Yes Like you mentioned there are popular men name Ashley, don't forget Ashley Young from Aston Villa also a soccer player.  

Answer 18

I hate it on girls, to be honest. It originally was a guy's name, until it was taken over by girls. I like Kelly for guys as well.

Answer 19

Here is an old joke...  What happened when the business man combined IBM with LSD?  He went on a business trip.

The fellow who thought of that joke was Ashleigh Brilliant.  A man.  No one ever thought of him as a woman and he definitely did not even look remotely like one.

The odd thing about names is how a name is usually associated with how many people one meets with that name.  One of my friends is named Timothy Reed.  She is the daughter of the writer Ishmael Reed and he named his other daughter Tennessee.  Now, when I hear someone calling someone named Timothy, I almost have to think twice about whether the person could be a man or a woman because I know a woman with that name.

A good friend of mine said that Ashley is actually a man's name that started becoming also a woman's name in time.  

I usually associate the name Ashley with a woman if I don't know the gender of the person but I don't get surprised if I find the person is a man.  That's just because I know more women named Ashley than I do men.  But, it originally was a man's name and now it is for both genders.

Answer 20

I knew that its a male, and female name - I live in the USA. It used to be common place for a boy to have the name Ashley until it became extremely popular for girls here in the 80's -90's. So most people here have only heard it as a girl's name. I loved the name Kelley for a boy, but its used so much for a girl now that I wouldn't put it on a boy.

It is a HUGE trend here in the U.S. to give girls a boy name - VERY trendy right now.

Answer 21

Every country is entitled to view their names as male or female. You don't have to agree with the choices and shouldn't worry yourself with what other countries think of your name choices.  

Answer 22

Well, i'm in the US and I know from watching Gone With The Wind that it was a common name for boys as well.  But that was a long time ago.  Now it is predominatly a girl name.

Answer 23

I'm not from the USA.. I'm Canadian.. and I think the reason is because we hear it so much as a girls name, it just stuck. I know men named Ashley & I know women.. It's just stubborness maybe..  

Answer 24

Because in the United States most people named Ashley are female.  But there are some men with the name.  I have a neighbor who is named Ashley and he is a guy.  But typically if I see the name written I will assume it is a female name.

Answer 25

i have always known ashley to be a boys name the female spelling is ashleigh.

Answer 26

Gone with the Wind...beautiful as a mans name...dignified

Answer 27

I think that people think it is only a girls name, because that is what it is more commonly used as.

The same thing goes with the name Lyndsay. It is a unisex name. And I hear where you are coming from. I love the name Logan for a girl, but people say that it is only a boys name, which it isn't. The same with the name Dylan.

So, hope I helped, and I totally agree with you!

Answer 28

I'm from Australia. While I know that Ashley is a 'unisex' name, I associate it with females. This is because it is an incredibly common name among girls my own age. Take a look at this website: http://www.behindthename.com/top/search....

Observe that Ashley was only a moderately common name for boys, before becoming obscenely popular for girls. Ashley for boys fell out of the top 1000 in the nineties, while Ashley remained solidly in the top ten (usually ranking at #1 and #2 amongst all US girls names). If you have a look at the statistics, it's unsurprising that many male Ashley's are a fair bit older than female Ashley's. Because Ashley began as a male name and was 'taken over' by girls. Once upon a time Ashley was more popular for boys than it is for girls.

Another thing that may show you why people consider Ashley a female name is: http://www.babynamemap.com/ To use this site simply type a name into the search engine, click on 'male' or 'female' and then press the little world button. You'll find that when you enter Ashley for a boy, it comes up as common in South Australia and rare in Scotland (UK), Belgium, Alberta (Canada) and Quebec (Canada).It appears relatively unused for males in other areas.

On the other hand, if you enter the name Ashley for a girl, it comes up as common in Scotland (UK), Belgium, Quebec (Canada) and South Australia. It is shown as ranging from popular to incredibly popular in almost all of the US states. In New South Wales (Australia), which is where I live, the name Ashley is shown as popular for girls. This is the reason why I see it as a 'girls' name. I have grown up knowing many female Ashley's and few male Ashley's (and both of these males go by simply Ash).  

Answer 29

Power of association

Because Ashley and Lindsey are used for girls mostly here so the common perception is that they're female sounding names...

Just like the popular supermodel's name Iman is actually also a boy's name but everyone will automatically associate it with girls when they hear it.