Ashton
Ashton is a male name of English origin. It is derived from the surname, itself a place name meaning "ash tree town".
- English
Meaning & Origin of Ashton
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ashton is a male name of English origin. It is derived from the surname, itself a place name meaning "ash tree town".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Ashton
As a girl name
American parents first put Ashton on the record books as a girl name in 1976, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1989, when 1,027 Ashtons were born — ranking #260 that year. About 44% of every Ashton on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ashton ranks #1,944 for girls with 102 births, falling sharply (-30%). All told, over 20K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Ashton first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1881, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2004: 5,436 births, good for #76 nationwide. About 36% of every Ashton on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ashton ranks #185 for boys with 1,938 births, falling sharply (-24%). All told, over 90K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Ashton
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ashton. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Ashton
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ashton is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ashton
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About the name Ashton
Ashton is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 90K births in the dataset. Ashton's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #76. Use the chart and map above to compare Ashton's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2004 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.