Ainley is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Alex Ainley (born 1981), New Zealand rugby union player Anthony Ainley (1932–2004), English actor Callum Ainley (born 1997), English footballer Henry Ainley (1879–1945), English Shakespearean stage and screen actor Joe Ainley (1878–1907), English cricketer John Ainley (1906–1992), British colonial judge John A. Ainley Jr. (1938–2001), American politician Richard Ainley (1910–1967), stage and film actor Ted Ainley (1903–1968), British trade union leader and communist activist
See also Ainley Peak Ainley Top Ainlay, surname Ainsley, surname