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Help[Facts] Ashley?
I am wondering if anyone can clear something up for me. As far as I know, Ashley is a surname, that means 'ash tree clearing.' I know there is debate about whether or not surnames are 'unisex,' but is there something that makes Ashley different from surnames like Benton and Crosby? Is there some more history or etymology behind the name I don't know of? Somewhere else on the 'net, I met someone that is claiming Ashley is unisex, because it is a 'place name.' As far as I know, place names aren't neccessarily unisex, either. I know I am rambling, so if you need something cleared up about this post, please ask, because I am very curious.
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The sequence must have been: first the clearing with ash trees growing in it; then the surname, for the owner of that clearing or the bloke who lived next to it; then from about the seventeenth century onwards women started giving their maiden names to their sons if they didn't have brothers or they came from a more distinguished family than their husbands! The idea was to keep the surname alive, not to create a new first name. And more sons get named after their fathers than girls get named after their mothers, so this was a safer bet.
However, Ashley has got the same sort of soft, flowing sound that has made Cathy, Sally, Hayley, Natalie etc into standard-issue, one-size-fits-all female names, and fashion supports this because boys are currently undervalued - I think; perceived as potential petty criminals and dropouts who will grow up to be serial rapists or MCPs at the very best! But, ironically, giving a girl a (previously) boy name seems to magically make her strong, noble and independent; all the good things that boys used to be!
Not that I can prove any of this, you understand! But it makes sense to me from what I see happening. I'd love you to comment, if you agree or not - it is interesting.
However, Ashley has got the same sort of soft, flowing sound that has made Cathy, Sally, Hayley, Natalie etc into standard-issue, one-size-fits-all female names, and fashion supports this because boys are currently undervalued - I think; perceived as potential petty criminals and dropouts who will grow up to be serial rapists or MCPs at the very best! But, ironically, giving a girl a (previously) boy name seems to magically make her strong, noble and independent; all the good things that boys used to be!
Not that I can prove any of this, you understand! But it makes sense to me from what I see happening. I'd love you to comment, if you agree or not - it is interesting.
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