While theoretically unisex, this surname name has been edging up the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> list, perhaps originally as an Ashley substitute. 

One quality in Ainsley's favor: It's remained steadily popular -- but not TOO popular -- for more than 20 years now, ranking consistently around Number 400. That makes it stylish and familiar without showing up everywhere.

Ainsley

Ashley alternative climbing up the baby names charts, probably due to the trendy ley/leigh ending and its similar-but-different status to the more popular Ainsley.

Ansley

Ashley was a sensation in the 1980s and 1990s; it hit Number 1 in 1991. Ashley is still pretty but more and more parents are turning to newer names like Ashlyn and Aubrey, and spellings such as Ashleigh and Ashlea.  If you hear the name Ashley in a playground today, it's more likely to be the mom than the little girl.

Ashley

Brinley was a surprise entrant to the US Top 1000 in 2009, however, in 2023, it doesn't feel surprising at all. In fact, alternative spellings Brynleigh and Brynlee also rank in the Top 1000, with Brynley not too far behind.
 
Combining the sounds of Brynn with popular suffix -lee, Brinley can also be an English surname. Either way, you get a contemporary sounding choice, in tune with Oakley and Everly, plus two possible nature-inspired meanings. 
 
Currently in the US Top 500, Brinley has declined in use in recent years, though it is still given to around 600 girls each year, while favored spelling Brynlee is given to double that. 
 
American wrestler Brinley Reece and social media and YouTube star Brinley Rich are notable bearers.

Brinley

A combination name and an English surname, Brynley has trendy sounds, nature-related meanings, and has a double dose of the cool letter Y. Despite this, it is less popular than its Top 1000 counterparts, Brinley, Brynlee, and Brynleigh, and given to around 170 girls each year. Actress Brynley Stent is a notable bearer, as are fitness influencer Brynley Joyner and Instagram star and dancer, Brynley Arnold. 

Brynley

Connelly is a rollicking and rare example of the popular surname genre that may work even better for girls. A huge update on Colleen.

Connelly

Dayley

A unisex surname now seeing some use for girls, as it fits right in with such trendy crossover girls' names  as Everly. Ellery and Emery, and others with the popular ly/leigh/lea ending

Ensley

This was a 100 percent <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a> until celebs Jason Sehorn and Angie Harmon bestowed it on their daughter, recently followed by Lisa Marie Presley, who used it for one of her (female) twins. Finlay is also now among the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">popular unisex names</a>. 
At the most recent count, Finley was given 57 percent of the time to girls and 43 percent to boys, close enough to make it one of the truly gender neutral names.

Finley

Greenley

Smart and preppy, but with plenty of heart, Hartley is a surname style name that could work as an alternative to the popular Harley, Harlowe, Harper, and Hadley. Quietly used for boys throughout the 20th century, Hartley took off for girls in 2010 after both Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath and baseball player Matt Cain used the name for their daughters.
 
Ultimately deriving from a place name, it comes from the Old English words heorot meaning "stag, male deer" and leah meaning "meadow, clearing". They come together to make a name that evokes images of English parks, while also feeling stylish and contemporary. 
 
Used by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge for his son, giving it a hint of literary flair, the name is also a jam and marmalade manufacturer in the UK, which might put some people off.
 
In the US, it is now predominantly used as a girls name, given to four girls for every one boy. It doubled in use after the two celebrity-baby-Hartleys were born in the early 2010s, and is currently given to 130 girls.

Hartley

With Henley and Kinsley two of the most popular new ley-ending <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">baby names for girls</a>, why not Hensley? We can think of several reasons, but if you like this style of name, Hensley is as attractive as any.

Hensley

A surnamier take on Isla. Isley may be derived from the German occupational surname Eisele (of the same pronunciation), or be related to the Old English word hesli, meaning "hazel grove."

Isley

Jackie Kennedy gave this name a lot of style, but it doesn't seem destined for a comeback the way brother name Jack has. Jackie and Jacqueline both peaked in 1961.

Jackie

The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
 Kaia's star has been floating upwards for the past few decades, along with Kai's. And it still has some distance to go, though we don't anticipate it making the Top 10.
 
Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, is now a supermodel in her own right.

Kaia

A huge name in the late 90's and most of the 00's, Kaitlyn's been on a downward trend in recent years. Kaitlyn and its soundalikes have been so well used in the US that they can no longer be seen as fresh, but it's still relatively popular in Canada.

Kaitlyn

A widely used name, Kaylee pulls together something from Kayla and something from Hailey, yet somehow loses something in the process. It has surpassed cousin Kayla on the charts and is one of three <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/k">girls' names starting with K</a>that ranks in the US Top 100.

Kaylee

Keeley is well-used in modern Ireland, also found as Keely and Keela.  The boys' form is Keelan.  Largely unknown in the US, this could make an interesting update for Kelly or Kaylie or Kylie. A famous bearer is actress Keeley Hawes. 

Keeley

Keelin is a form of Keelan, the Anglicized phonetic form of Caelan or Caoilinn, said to be a unisex name but in practice used almost exclusively for boys.  Girls would more often be called Keela, Keeley, or Keely.

Keelin

Kendall, as used for a girl, was initially propelled by a soap opera character (Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kendall Hart in All My Children) and reality star and Kardashian sister Kendall Jenner.

Kendall

Kenna is the Scottish version of Kendra, both of which are feminine versions of Kenneth. Used in the TV show Reign for one of the supporting characters.

Kenna

Similar to Kinsley, this modern choice has become much more popular in recent years; it first entered the Top 1000 in 2011. Part of its appeal might be that it sounds reminiscent of the overly-popular McKenzie.

Kensley

Take away the Mac and what do you have? Rather than "son of Kenneth," the meaning becomes simply Kenneth, which in itself means son of fire or handsome.

In the US, the name Kenzie peaked for girls about ten years ago. There are still plenty of baby girls named Kenzie, though: More than 500, versus only nine baby boys.
 
Mackenzie peaked earlier, around the turn of the century, but seems to have more staying power. It still ranks among the Top 200 names for baby girls in the US, used for more than 2000 baby girls last year.

Kenzie

Kia is a sweet, simple name that is now, unfortunately, associated with a Korean car label.  Better today: Nia, Thea, or Keira.

Kieran is a boys' name that could cross over, as an update of outmoded Karen or a variation on trendy Kiera (or Keira or Kyra).  Keren Ann is an Israeli-born singer.  The proportion of babies named Kieran who are girls is less than ten percent, but is slowly growing. Kieran had an increase in use for girls in 2022.

Kieran

Kiley is one of the more reasonable of the Kylie variations, which also include Kilea, Kilee, Kileigh, Kili, Kilie, Kylee, Kyley, Kyli, ad infinitum. Despite its similarity to the popular Riley, the high ranking Kylie will ensure that this choice comes with spelling confusion. For our part, we'd rather people stuck with the original Kylie, especially seeing as that is a Noongar Aboriginal word.

Kiley

Kimberly's heyday was in the 1960s and 70s, when it ranked among the Top 10. While it hasn't been stylish for decades, it's evidenced more staying power than some former hot girl names, remaining among the Top 300 girl names in the US, where it's stood for 70 years.

Does that make Kimberly a classic? We wouldn't go quite that far, but it's shown more staying power than other <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/k">girls' names starting with K</a> popular around the same time, such as Kelly and Kristen.

Kimberley is a city in South Africa whose name is taken from Lord Kimberley, a native of the village of Kimberley in Norfolk, England.

Kimberly

Kindall

Kindra

Regal Kingsley seems like an all-boy name, but a growing number of parents have bestowed this name on a girl.  Credit the ever-trendier -ley suffix.

Kingsley

The capital of Jamaica is also a popular name for American baby boys, but child actress Kingston Foster is a notable female bearer.

Kingston

Kinna

The name of a lake in Israel, known as the Sea of Galilee in English. The lake's name is derived from Hebrew kinnor "harp", due to its shape.

Kinneret

Kinnia is an ancient Irish saint's name — legend has it she was a maiden baptized by St. Patrick.

Kinnia

Kinnsey

Kinsey enjoyed popularity blip thanks to similarity to Lindsay, and because of Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries heroine, Kinsey Millhone. Now, Kinsley has become more popular than Kinsey.

Kinsey

A rare and refined Irish place name (Cinn Mhara) turned baby name, belonging to a picturesque harbor town. As a given name, it has received occasional use especially amongst the upper classes in Britain. Lady Kinvara Balfour is an English playwright and novelist.

Kinvara

Kinza

This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related names, Kitty is sounding cute and cuddly again&mdash;she's already jumped back onto the U.K. list, at number 199.
 Kitty was one of the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice and was a character in Dickens's Bleak House; Ginger Rogers won an Oscar for her performance in Kitty Foyle, and vintage TV fans might remember the alluring Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke. Since then there have been pop culture Kittys galore, including Calista Flockhart's character on Brothers and Sisters, a mom on That 70's Show and Kitty Pryde, one of the X-Men.
 Singer Kitty Carlisle was born Catherine, country singer Kitty Wells grew up as Muriel, and Presidential candidate's wife Kitty Dukakis was born Katharine.
 A historical reference is Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers performed their aeronautical experiments. 
 Short form Kit has been used in recent years for several strong-willed movie heroines and may prove a lively alternative to Kate.

Kitty

Popular pop name, inspired by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was at its height in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s; often cited as a Noongar name meaning "boomerang". 

 Kylie has also been used as a feminine form of the Scottish name Kyle. The youngest Kardashian sister, Kylie Jenner, is undoubtedly keeping its style going.

Kylie

Kynsley

Nickname name Lainey has been rising since the turn of the century to become a Top 200 girls' name in the US today.

Mother name Elaine has reversed a long slide to start an upward climb too. And the popularity of the gender neutral name Lane hasn't hurt.

Lainey is now more popular than Elaine, Laney, or Lane.

Lainey

A growing number of high-profile (and other) parents are choosing to honor their musical idols, such as Hendrix, Presley, Jagger, and now Lennon, an <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/509/irish-names-for-girls">Irish name for girls</a> as well as boys with a wonderful meaning on many levels. Lennon first came to notice when Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit used it for their son in 1999, and singer-musician Adam Pascal followed their lead two years later. 
 Most recently, YouTube sensation and star of the hit television show Nashville, Lennon Stella, can be credited for this name's spike in popularity among girls. This may be why it entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2013.

Lennon

Linley is one of the trendy new <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' names</a> created from two popular halves, Lin and Ley. All names Ley ending are popular right now, with Oakley, Bexley, and Riley picking up where Ashley left off. Nearly 100 baby girls were named Linley in one recent year, so it's closing in on the Top 1000.

Linley

An unusual, energetic surname choice that would make a good Madison alternative. Madigan was a typical police detective series of the 1970s, starring Richard Widmark.

Madigan

Presidential name that makes a fresh substitute for MacKenzie or McKenna. Possible spelling variations include MacKinley, MacKinlee, Makinleigh ad almost infinitum. McKinley is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/472/scottish-names-for-girls">Scottish names for girls</a> that can work equally well for boys.

Mckinley

One-time overnight success name, thanks to Hannah Montana actress and singer Miley Cyrus, Miley fell just as quickly from her peak of Number 127 in 2008 as the star entered her rebellious era. Now Miley seems to be on a comeback — both the artist and the name — as Miley rose over 250 places in 2023.

 

For Miley Cyrus, Miley was a childhood nickname (because she was so smiley); Destiny was her given name, although she legally changed it to Miley in 2008.

Miley

Nicky

Nikki was the it-girl name of the 1970s and '80s as both a short form of Top 10 favorite Nicole and as a given name itself.
 
As a Punjabi name, Nikki is usually a pet name for youngest daughters. Nikku is the male equivalent.

Nikki

For a name related to a Scottish town, a patterned Indian fabric, and a country singer named Brad, Paisley has seen remarkable success. After appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, it is now an American favorite. 
Deriving from a Scottish surname and town near Glasglow, Paisley means “church” or “cemetery.” It has been given to a tiny handful of girls each year since the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the late 2000s that it had any significant usage. 
 
Then, between 2010 and 2015, the number of girls named Paisley quadrupled, and it entered the US Top 50. 
 
So what did make Paisley so popular? Perhaps parents drew inspiration from the American country singer, Brad Paisley, who’s dueted with Dolly. Maybe the 2009 appearance of ‘Peppermint Paisley’ on the controversial TV show “Toddlers and Tiaras” turned some heads?
 
Or perhaps it simply emerged as a fresh spin on both Ashley and Paige, the once popular choices that were falling rapidly out of style?
 
However it made its way to the charts, Paisley remains in the US Top 100 and is given to over 4000 girls each year. Athlete Jennie Finch, The Guns ‘n’ Roses musician Richard Fortus, and the actress Gabrielle Anwar are among those who have chosen Paisley for their daughters. 
 
Nameberry users tend not to share this love of Paisley and it ranks outside the <a href=“https://nameberry.com/popular-names/nameberry/girls/allNameberry Top 1000”> Nameberry Top 1000.</a> For more ‘Berry-style’ choices, you could try Maisie, Daisy, Astrid, Romy, Blair or Marlowe.

Paisley

Quinn is one of the first popular Irish unisex surnames, a strong and attractive choice on the rise for girls but still popular for boys. Quinn was used for about 3000 baby girls and 700 boys in the US last year.
 
Quinn is the Anglicized version of the Irish patronymic surname Ó Cuinn, meaning "descendent of Conn." Conn has two possible derivations—the Old Irish cond, meaning "intellect," or cenn, meaning "chief." One of the most notable Quinn clans was from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. 
 Quinn started taking off for girls in the mid-nineties, possibly influenced by the popular show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Since then, there have been female Quinns on the animated MTV show Daria, on Zoey 101, and—most prominently—on Glee, featuring cute blond cheerleader character Quinn Fabray.
 Some other, more <a href="https://nameberry.com/lists/category/unusual-names">unusual names</a> with the Q-factor: Quincy, Quintina, Quintana, Quinta, Quilla--and, on a different note, Queenie.

Quinn

Riley—an upbeat, friendly surname name—is red hot for girls and still going strong for boys. If you haven't been spending much time around babies recently, you may be surprised to learn that Riley is the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/r">girls' name starting with R</a> and also the Number 1 <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/753/best-irish-girl-names">Irish name for girls</a> in the US.
 
Riley originated as both an English and an Irish surname. The former was derived from British place names that got their names from the Old English words for "rye clearing." Irish Riley is a variation of Reilly, a surname taken from the given name Raghailleach.
 Rylee, Ryleigh, and other variations are also quite popular, along with the traditional Reilly. Riley is one of the most popular contemporary <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a>, ALWAYS ranking in the Top 1000 for boys but now more popular for girls.
 Newsperson Norah O'Donnell has a daughter named Riley Norah.

Riley

With its surname-style, literary feel, and similarity in sound to Finley, Juniper, Pippa, Riley, and Presley, Ripley is an unexpected choice that was given to more than 200 girls in each recent year. First used back in the 80s, thanks to the powerful character played by Sigourney Weaver in the Alien films, it began to be used more substantially in the 2000s, after it was chosen by actress Thandiwe Newton for her daughter. 
 
Deriving from the Old English rippel and leah meaning "grove" and "clearing" respectively, some might recognise it from The Talented Mr Ripley series by Patricia Highsmith.

Ripley

Meet my sibling, Sibley.  Joking aside, Sibley sounds more possible than ever thanks to its trendy -ley ending and the new stylishness of big sister name Sybil.

Sibley

Sisley may look like a modern coinage, building on the fashionable -ley ending, but it's actually a medieval English variant of Cicely or Cecily, which in turn is a variation of Cecilia. Also found as an English surname, from the same root.

Sisley

New York socialite and reality TV star Tinsley Mortimer introduced this name to the mainstream. Following her Gossip Girl cameo in 2008 and the airing of her own show, High Society in 2010, this once obscure choice began to climb the charts. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016 and though 2023 saw it drop from the charts, it is still given to around 250 girls each year.

Derived from an English place name,Tinsley can mean "Tynni's meadow" or "Field of Council', in reference to a town in South Yorkshire. Also used as a surname, Tinsley is in tune with its more popular sister names: Kinsley, Presley, Oakley, Finley, and Paisley, to name a few. Boosted up by these on trend names, Tinsley's rise might also have been helped along by the character, Dawn Tinsley, from the popular TV show The Office and by child actress and social media star, Tinsley Price, who starred in the first series of Stranger Things. The year following release of the show did coincide with a jump in use of the name.
 
Reminiscent of glitz, glamor, and sparkly Christmas decorations, Tinsley may well re-enter the charts in coming years.

Tinsley

The Wylie spelling (with that feminine Y) is much more common among girls than Wiley, but both have been climbing the ranks. Could Wiley be the next Riley?

Wiley

Zayley -- which may also be styled Zaylee or Zaylie or Zalie, among other spellings -- is a member of the squad of names that include Bailey, Hayley, and Kaylee and is always welcoming new members.

Zayley

MiaLen's list "Alternatives To Kinsley" of 58 great name ideas: Ainsley - Zayley!

Alternatives To Kinsley

Kinsley is a thoroughly modern surname name meaning "Kings meadow".  She debuted in the top 1000 in 2005 and has steadily risen to 61 as of 2022. Here are some alternatives