Save Type Surname (from location) Usage Scottish Meaning & History From a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing". Related NamesDetails Given Name DescendantAinsley(Scottish) Categories Family Affair characters, isograms, solitary, structures, trees