Comments
Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
Impression
Other
Hayley Williams is the lead singer of a popular alternative band named Paramore. She has an amazingly strong and versatile voice, and I think she’s really pretty too. She is known to dye her hair bright colors.
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Hayley is also used as a masculine given name in English. However, it's more common for females. So, I think that the "Gender" of this name should be updated from "Feminine" to "Feminine & Masculine".
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_name
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Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_name
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Hayley has and always will be one of my favorites! It reminds me of Hayley from Modern Family, My favorite character from the show. It’s like a popular girl but she’s nice and has a sweet heart. If you are named Hayley, you are kind. I will definitely use this name.
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The two Ys in the name make it look like it’s a made up spelling. Like spelling Bailey “Bayley.”.
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It's fine, but I prefer spelling it "Hailey".
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Emma, Lilly, Olivia, Sophia, Hayley… These names sound pretentious to me, like they’re school bullies or in the popular group of a movie.
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I really like this name, it's so pretty! I think I prefer this spelling to Hailey but I love both!
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This is my name! It's pretty and unique.
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I like Hayley better than Hailey- but frankly, I don't like either.
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I prefer Hailey. The two "y"'s make me uncomfortable.
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Just boring. Nothing much interesting about it. Boring!
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Simple but low-key annoypid.
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Cute. I love this spelling way more than other spellings. This name appeals to me greatly. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but names like Kayley or Bailey, etc, just do not sit well with me. Maybe it's because of the "h" that makes me like it unlike the others. Otherwise, if I were to ever change my name finally, this would probably be the one.
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I prefer Haylie.
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My name is Hayley and I quite like it. It's certainly not unique where I'm from, but it's not as common as "Sarah" or "Olivia", etc. I like having a common name that is easy to spell and pronounce, sounds pretty (to me), and is just unique enough.
I see a lot of comments saying that it sounds quite childish and immature, and I agree that it can sound quite young and little-girlish. However, I have a long and sophisticated-sounding last name, so my first and last name paired together sound youthful but still professional.
The only problem I have with my name is that when I introduce myself, people often miss the sound of the "H" and think I'm saying "Kaylee". I personally really dislike the name Kaylee (or really anything starting with "Kay"). My nickname to my friends is something unrelated to my name, but other people have called me "Hayls" which I think sounds super cute as a nickname.
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I see a lot of comments saying that it sounds quite childish and immature, and I agree that it can sound quite young and little-girlish. However, I have a long and sophisticated-sounding last name, so my first and last name paired together sound youthful but still professional.
The only problem I have with my name is that when I introduce myself, people often miss the sound of the "H" and think I'm saying "Kaylee". I personally really dislike the name Kaylee (or really anything starting with "Kay"). My nickname to my friends is something unrelated to my name, but other people have called me "Hayls" which I think sounds super cute as a nickname.
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Basic.
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I just don't see the appeal of this name.
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If I had been a girl, I was going to be named Hayley Denise or Christian Nicole. But I'm glad I'm a boy though. I honestly like the name Hayley, not gonna lie. Probably wouldn't use it for a child though.
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Hey, Lee!
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I like the name but I prefer Hailey. Haley is alright too but Hailey is my favorite. Hayley is just weird looking because there’s one too many Ys.
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Hayley is a cute name and is the best spelling in my opinion. I dislike how it's getting so many youneeq spellings. And it is getting quite popular...
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My name is beautiful and I love it.
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Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills was a popular child actress of the 1960s. She was born in London to actors Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and her older sister is the actress Juliet Mills. Hayley Mills starred in Disney movies such as Pollyanna and The Parent Trap. She later moved into more mature roles on stage, in films, and on television.
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Hayley is quite dumb to my ears. I don't have any specific link or famous bearer in my mind.
I much prefer the similar name Shirley.
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I much prefer the similar name Shirley.
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This name is like the word yearly, because of the two y's and the way it sounds.
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Hayley Noelle LeBlanc is a youtuber known for the channel “Bratayley”. I also love the name Hayley and this particular spelling.
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Sorry, but this name is just overused and boring. Though, I prefer this from Haley. Haley is very boring to me.
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Hayley Williams is the lead singer of my favourite band, Paramore. She's definitely my favourite Hayley.
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I prefer this over Kaylee or Bailey.
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All these baby name sites with the meaning for the name Hayley is so wrong and need to do more research and get their definitions right.
Hayley derives from the place-name Hailey, which is composed of the Old English elements hēg (hay) and lēah (wood, clearing, meadow).
Heg definition;
A fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes
Any wise person who has an old dictionary or even google would know that heg means fence, barrier, hedge or enclosure.
Hayley is a beautiful name meaning (a fenced meadow).
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Hayley derives from the place-name Hailey, which is composed of the Old English elements hēg (hay) and lēah (wood, clearing, meadow).
Heg definition;
A fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes
Any wise person who has an old dictionary or even google would know that heg means fence, barrier, hedge or enclosure.
Hayley is a beautiful name meaning (a fenced meadow).
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Origin of the name Hayley:
Transferred use of a Northern English surname derived from Hale or Hales (residing in a nook, recess, or remote valley). It has also been suggested that Hayley derives from the place-name Hailey, which is composed of the Old English elements hēg (hay) and lēah (wood, clearing, meadow).
So the northern English meaning of this name is (someone who lives in a cozy relaxed corner in a faraway valley) I love this meaning it’s so zen!
And from the old English place name Hailey meaning hay meadow.
This I found on babynamewizard.com.
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Transferred use of a Northern English surname derived from Hale or Hales (residing in a nook, recess, or remote valley). It has also been suggested that Hayley derives from the place-name Hailey, which is composed of the Old English elements hēg (hay) and lēah (wood, clearing, meadow).
So the northern English meaning of this name is (someone who lives in a cozy relaxed corner in a faraway valley) I love this meaning it’s so zen!
And from the old English place name Hailey meaning hay meadow.
This I found on babynamewizard.com.
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You know there are usually different uses for words and their history, especially in other languages. Don't just go off an internet search. It can mean more than just the translation. You just have to dig a little deeper. Always do your research and homework. The things you might find are pretty interesting! To start with, all these internet sites have the meaning for the name Hayley as hay meadow. They never ever give the correct definition and history of the word hay or meadow. Anyway hay does actually mean enclosure, fence, or hedge and a meadow is a field with grass and wild flowers in it), and an area of land with grass and endless perennial wildflowers including daisies, buttercups dandelions etc. Hayley... It is a name that should make most of us think instantly of waving grass, sprinkled with colourful wildflowers. The sun will probably be shining, the birds singing, and the location rural. Hay Meadows attract butterflies, birds, bees and wildlife of all kinds, which is why this name is one of the most beautiful nature names I have ever come across. (A fenced meadow). And yes, hay meadows if used for agriculture are cut annually, only to grow back again year after year while others are found growing naturally in the wild, both are equally breathtaking and beautiful. I personally have always loved this name.
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So when you see the meaning HAY meadow the word HAY does not mean dry grass it means fence, high, enclosed.
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Haywood Name Meaning. English (Midlands): habitational name from any of various places, for example in Herefordshire. Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire, Old English (ge)hæg 'enclosure' + wudu 'wood'. Meaning fenced forest.
Last name: Hayward. Recorded in the spellings of Hayward, Haward, and Heyward, this is an English surname. It originates from the pre 7th Century words "hege" meaning hedge or fence, plus "weard", a watch or guardian.
Scotland
In Scotland, Hayes is a Scoto-Norman surname, a direct translation of the Normans' locational surname "de la Haye", meaning "of La Haye", La Haye ("the hedge") being the name of several towns on the Cotentin peninsula of Normandy, France. The first Norman namebearer to arrive in Scotland was William II de la Haye in the time of the Norman invasion. Clan Hay descends from him.[7]
Variants
Hay, Haye, Hays, Heas, Heyes, Highes, O'Hea, Hease, Heyes, Heise, Hughes, Haynes, Haines
Haines
From the Old English word of “haegen” which can be translated to mean “the enclosure.” There are many spellings of the town or village of Haynes, which are all recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086, which was a document that was supposed to encompass the “Great Surevey” of England. Some examples of the spelling in the Doomsday Book include Hagenes,
More common variations are: Hains, Haine, Haynes, Hain, Hayne, Heynes, Hayn, Hainnes, Hayines
SO IF YOU HAVE STUDIED OLD ENGLISH, MIDDLE ENGlISH, ANGLO SAXON AND KNOW YOUR HISTORY ABOUT THE NORMAN CONQUEST IN 1066, You will know that the name HAYLEY means a fenced meadow, or a high meadow.
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Last name: Hayward. Recorded in the spellings of Hayward, Haward, and Heyward, this is an English surname. It originates from the pre 7th Century words "hege" meaning hedge or fence, plus "weard", a watch or guardian.
Scotland
In Scotland, Hayes is a Scoto-Norman surname, a direct translation of the Normans' locational surname "de la Haye", meaning "of La Haye", La Haye ("the hedge") being the name of several towns on the Cotentin peninsula of Normandy, France. The first Norman namebearer to arrive in Scotland was William II de la Haye in the time of the Norman invasion. Clan Hay descends from him.[7]
Variants
Hay, Haye, Hays, Heas, Heyes, Highes, O'Hea, Hease, Heyes, Heise, Hughes, Haynes, Haines
Haines
From the Old English word of “haegen” which can be translated to mean “the enclosure.” There are many spellings of the town or village of Haynes, which are all recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086, which was a document that was supposed to encompass the “Great Surevey” of England. Some examples of the spelling in the Doomsday Book include Hagenes,
More common variations are: Hains, Haine, Haynes, Hain, Hayne, Heynes, Hayn, Hainnes, Hayines
SO IF YOU HAVE STUDIED OLD ENGLISH, MIDDLE ENGlISH, ANGLO SAXON AND KNOW YOUR HISTORY ABOUT THE NORMAN CONQUEST IN 1066, You will know that the name HAYLEY means a fenced meadow, or a high meadow.
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This is from someone who studied old English/ Middle English from its origins in Anglo-Saxon, England you name it. Most of these sites has the meaning for the name Hayley wrong.
Family History
Hay Name Meaning
Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English hay(e), heye (Old English (ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin). Alternatively, it may be a habitational name from any of various places named with this word, including Les Hays and La Haye in Normandy. The Old French and Middle English word was used in particular to denote an enclosed forest. Compare Haywood. This name was taken to Ireland (County Wexford) by the Normans. Scottish and English: nickname for a tall person, from Middle English hay, hey ‘tall’, ‘high’ (Old English heah). Scottish and English: from the medieval personal name Hay, which represented in part the Old English byname Heah ‘tall’, in part a short form of the various compound names with the first element heah ‘high’. French: topographic name from a masculine form of Old French haye ‘hedge’, or a habitational name from Les Hays, Jura, or Le Hay, Seine-Maritime. Spanish: topographic name from haya ‘beech tree’ (ultimately derived from Latin fagus). German: occupational name from Middle High German heie ‘guardian’, ‘custodian’ (see Hayer). Dutch and Frisian: variant of Haye 1.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Hayley really means fence meadow, high meadow, or enclosed meadow, the name also has other meanings in different languages.
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Family History
Hay Name Meaning
Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English hay(e), heye (Old English (ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin). Alternatively, it may be a habitational name from any of various places named with this word, including Les Hays and La Haye in Normandy. The Old French and Middle English word was used in particular to denote an enclosed forest. Compare Haywood. This name was taken to Ireland (County Wexford) by the Normans. Scottish and English: nickname for a tall person, from Middle English hay, hey ‘tall’, ‘high’ (Old English heah). Scottish and English: from the medieval personal name Hay, which represented in part the Old English byname Heah ‘tall’, in part a short form of the various compound names with the first element heah ‘high’. French: topographic name from a masculine form of Old French haye ‘hedge’, or a habitational name from Les Hays, Jura, or Le Hay, Seine-Maritime. Spanish: topographic name from haya ‘beech tree’ (ultimately derived from Latin fagus). German: occupational name from Middle High German heie ‘guardian’, ‘custodian’ (see Hayer). Dutch and Frisian: variant of Haye 1.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Hayley really means fence meadow, high meadow, or enclosed meadow, the name also has other meanings in different languages.
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Uhh, I’ve hated this version of the name because of how stupid it looks, much prefer Hailey or Haley.
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Hayley Marie Norman is an American film and television actress known for numerous roles including Top Five, Fired Up, Hancock, Beyond the Lights, Trailer Park of Terror, Our Family Wedding and Norbit. She is the grandniece of Bobby Anderson.
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Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft, known professionally as Hayley Kiyoko, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for playing Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster, as well as Stella Yamada in the Disney Channel film Lemonade Mouth. She also portrayed the role of Raven Ramirez in CSI: Cyber and had a main role on the spin-off web-series of The Fosters, Girls United.
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Hayley Elizabeth Atwell is an American British actress. She is known for her work in stage productions such as A View from the Bridge, and in films such as the 2007 thriller Cassandra's Dream, the 2008 drama The Duchess, the 2010 historical drama miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, and for her portrayal of Peggy Carter in various films and television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the ABC action-adventure series Agent Carter.
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I really don't like the double y, I prefer Haylee even though it's a one letter difference.
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I find it too cutesy and overused to like it much. Though I will give it this, the association with Halley's Comet is a pretty one.
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Actress and singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko.
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My name is spelt Hailey. Not after Halley's comet or something else. Nope, after a small town in Idaho where my dad hitchhiked to in the 80's. Anyway, I feel like it has an innocent tone to it, and I have a hard time thinking about me having that name as an adult. The problem with names like this is that they can't be shortened. My friends have resorted to calling me "hay-hay" or "hay".
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Hayley Noelle is a famous YouTuber on Bratayley! I love this name because it's sweet and innocent!
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In the case for the United States and Canada (British Columbia), Hayley didn't became more commonly used until the 1980s and 90s.
In the case for England & Wales, it was popularised by Hayley Mills, as mentioned, when she appeared in Pollyanna, which came out in 1960. By 1965, it already became more commonly used as that year, around 618 people (almost all or virtually all of them girls in my presumption) were born with that name and by 1974, going by 10-year intervals, Hayley was in the top 100, ranked 53rd.
As for Scotland, the full data only goes back to 1974, but by the looks of it, the impact that Mills made for Hayley, as a name, wasn't as strong as for England & Wales as it didn't enter the top 100 until 1983.
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In the case for England & Wales, it was popularised by Hayley Mills, as mentioned, when she appeared in Pollyanna, which came out in 1960. By 1965, it already became more commonly used as that year, around 618 people (almost all or virtually all of them girls in my presumption) were born with that name and by 1974, going by 10-year intervals, Hayley was in the top 100, ranked 53rd.
As for Scotland, the full data only goes back to 1974, but by the looks of it, the impact that Mills made for Hayley, as a name, wasn't as strong as for England & Wales as it didn't enter the top 100 until 1983.
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Hayley is a very beautiful, cute and sweet name. ^-^
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Hayley Lovitt - as an actress she has had several minor roles since 2009 but is currently most notable for her role as Janet van Dyne in the 2015 MCU film 'Ant-Man'.
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My friend has this name, but she spells it as Halli. It's pronounced the same.
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Mine is Haleigh. I've had people pronounce it like Holly, Halle (like Halle Berry), and I even got a "Huh-lee-yuh" pronunciation once. I used to dislike the name, but I love it now that I'm older. I haven't noticed it to be super popular (so it's pretty unique) and people always compliment me on my spelling. Though they always do i before e first, like Haliegh. I like the description of it sounding sweet and angelic too!
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I like the spelling of the name Haleigh. And a nice middle name could be Haleigh Alexis/ALexa.
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One of my best friends is named Hailey, and I prefer this spelling to hers. Nevertheless, I've always really liked the name despite its commonness. I also love Hayley as a nickname for Helena (I understand that is a stretch).
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Didn't know it was possible to make the name Haley sound mature and sophisticated, but I think "Hayley" just did.
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This is a common and juvenile name, but it is cute in its own way. I prefer this spelling over the others.
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The daughter from American Dad's name is Hayley!
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Origins of this name are actually Scandinavian, and it's meaning is hero. There is more to the definition though I cannot remember all of it at this very moment. Will update as soon as I can.
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Hayley is also masculine.
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I have grown to think this name is alright, because it's the name of my boyfriend's sister and she's really cool and nice, but it's extremely common and won't age well.
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Can I be very dull and boring and be the nth person to say this is a very dull and boring name?
I really prefer the name Hallie.
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I really prefer the name Hallie.
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Cute, but too many variations and extremely overused. I'm a freshman in high school and I've met about 10-15 of them. Also, it doesn't age well at all.
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Hayley is a really common typical name - not pretty in any way at all. It sounds like you says 'Hey Lee'!
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I don't think a surname on a girl has lasted quite as long as this one. It's still everywhere!
Fugly, dull and done to death. Unfortunately, my first impression is "Parents couldn't be bothered looking for anything else and just settled on this".
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Fugly, dull and done to death. Unfortunately, my first impression is "Parents couldn't be bothered looking for anything else and just settled on this".
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Too common and boring now. I don't see what's so great about this name.
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I think this name is very cute. I even have a little cousin named Hayley. I think this is a very sweet name. I love the way it sounds.
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Too common, no longer original. The name basically sucks now. It would be a lovely name for a horse though!
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This is a beautiful name! :) I don't think it's "dull" or "boring" like some people are saying. Hayley is probably my favorite spelling, but I like Hayleigh, too.
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Dull, dull, dull, did I say dull?
Surname and blah. Anonymous commenter was right. Its use on females for a first name is modern.
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Surname and blah. Anonymous commenter was right. Its use on females for a first name is modern.
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It's my name and it drives me mad. You can't shorten it except by writing Hayl but you can't say that or it'll sound like hail. I want a name that can be shortened.
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This name is so boring. I fail to see the appeal of this name in any form.
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As a first name Hayley seems to have originated with Hayley Mills. She was given the middle name of her mother, the actress and dramatist Mary Hayley Bell (1911-2005). Hayley was apparently a surname in Mary's family.
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Actress Alison Veselá and David Rice have a daughter Hayley Laura Rice, who was born in 1982.
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Dull, downtrodden surname that really should go back to the males. Like with Lauren, unfeminine and flat-out comatose boring.
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Gee, anonymous commenter of 06/14/2008, your impression of the name is rather a slap in the face to all the Hayley's who've left comments. I don't know where you got the impression the name Hayley was ever male but I am sure that under gender, it says it's feminine.
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Well, this is definitely the best spelling of the name, and the name is cute and all that, but I have great difficulty picturing this youthful, cutesy name on a grown woman past the age of 25.
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I really like the name Hayley. I think it's got a pretty, yet sophisticated edge to it.
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This is a beautiful girl's name. There are many spellings; Haley, Hayley, Hailey, Halie, Haileigh, Haylie, Haelie. My own favorite is Hailey. The name is pretty for a young girl or an adult woman. I picture a pretty, spunky, lively girl.
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I pronounce it Hay-Lee.
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My best friend's name is Hayley so it will allways remind me of her (which is good lol). I think it's a very pretty name but I could never use it because it's far too popular were I come from, I know lots of Hayleys.
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I think this is such a pretty name. This is my favourite spelling of the name, because there are so many different ways to spell it. If I used this name I would spell it this way or maybe spell it Hailey. Haley is too common.
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This is my name and may I just say that I absolutely can't stand it. I understand that most people don't care for their own name, but I'd honestly rather be named ANYTHING other than this. I've met at least 2 dozen other "Hayleys" in my day so it is much more common than most seem to think. It rhymes with so many other names it becomes quite irritating after a while (Bailey, Kaylie, etc.). And in addition, there are just too many ways to spell this name so as a result EVERYONE spells it incorrectly (also irritating).
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I love this name. Although, I prefer the spelling Hailey.
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I really don't think this means 'Hay Meadow'. I study both Old English and onomastics of place-names at university, and any place names that contain the element Hay- have derived form the Old English (ge)haeg (ae should actually be an ash symbol), which means 'fence' or 'enclosure'. I'm pretty sure heg doesn't mean hay.
I think it is heag + leah, meaning, 'field with a fence round it'. I could be wrong.
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I think it is heag + leah, meaning, 'field with a fence round it'. I could be wrong.
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This is my own name and I really like it. I have heard before that it does sound sort of angelic, and I guess it sort of fits. But I think I like the HAYLEY version better (although I could just be biased since it's how mine is spelt)! I would totally recommend this name to anybody with a little girl.
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Hayley Williams is the lead singer of the band Paramore.
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I grew up hating my name being Hayley but I don't see how anyone can think there are too many. I was the only Hayley I ever knew as a child. Even now, at 25, I don't personally count any Hayley's amoung my acquaintances. I went to college with almost 28,000 students and there were only 5 Hayley's total in the school. And personally, I have always hated every other spelling of the name - HaYley is the only one that seems to be pronounced the proper way. I was born in '81, only a few years before Halley's comet went through and I HATED being called comet for years after. In my opinion, any other variation in spelling leads to my name being pronounced Hail-ee, which is very incorrect. If you pick Hayley for your child's name, pick the best spelling so that it's pronounced correctly because a life of being called the wrong name is a pain in the neck.
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I just love this name and wish it were mine except I would spell it Hailey.
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I was born in a year with Haley's comet so I have always had tons of Hayleys, Hailees, Haleys and other variations. So much so that I am borderline loathing this name. If I had never heard it before I would think it rather sweet though.
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Such a pleasant sweet sound and even makes me think 'halo'. It feels like an angelic name and I like it heaps.
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From the Scandavian meaning hero, she is lively, intelligent and something of a tomboy, she bubbles with life.
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A famous bearer of this name is Hayley Westenra, the opera singer from New Zealand.
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I have also seen this name listed as of Scandanvian origin, meaning 'hero'.
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A variant of the name Hayley could be spelled like "Hailie".
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Name famous, at least under my point of view, by English Disney actress Hayley Mills (b. 1946).
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