Ashantay
A feminine given name of African origin meaning "woman of grace".
Name Census estimates that about 34 living Americans carry the first name Ashantay. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ashantay today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ashantay births was 2002 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ashantay. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ashantay with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ashantay. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
34
~ 1 in 10,081,010 Americans
Peak year
2002
21 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2003 SSA rank
#10,515
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Ashantay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ashantay from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 30 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashantay by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ashantay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ashantay
The given name Ashantay is believed to have its origins in the Akan language spoken by the Ashanti people of Ghana. The name is thought to be derived from the word "Ashanti," which refers to the Ashanti Kingdom, a powerful empire that dominated present-day Ghana from the late 17th to the late 19th century.
The Ashanti Kingdom was known for its rich cultural heritage, including intricate gold jewelry, colorful kente cloth, and vibrant musical traditions. The name Ashantay may have been inspired by the strength, resilience, and artistic expression of the Ashanti people during their time of prosperity and influence in West Africa.
While the exact origin and meaning of the name Ashantay are somewhat uncertain, it is believed to have been used as a given name for both males and females within the Ashanti community and possibly other neighboring ethnic groups in Ghana and the broader region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ashantay can be found in the writings of British explorer and anthropologist Robert Rattray, who conducted extensive research on the Ashanti people in the early 20th century. In his book "Ashanti Proverbs" published in 1916, Rattray mentions a woman named Ashantay who was known for her wisdom and knowledge of traditional Ashanti proverbs.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ashantay, though many of them may have been from different cultural backgrounds and not necessarily of Ashanti origin. Here are a few examples:
1. Ashantay Williams (born 1984) - American actress and model known for her roles in television shows like "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire."
2. Ashantay Lavigne (born 1989) - Canadian singer-songwriter and musician, best known for her hit single "Complicated" from the early 2000s.
3. Ashantay Khalid (born 1976) - British actor and writer, known for his work in theater productions and independent films.
4. Ashantay Naidu (born 1992) - South African cricketer who has represented the national women's cricket team.
5. Ashantay Fernandez (born 1980) - Puerto Rican artist and activist, known for her vibrant murals and community art projects.
It's important to note that while the name Ashantay may have its roots in the Ashanti culture of Ghana, it has been adopted and used by various communities around the world, each potentially ascribing their own meanings and cultural significance to the name.
People
Ashantay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ashantay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ashantay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ashantay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 34 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ashantay going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 10,081,010 US residents.
Is Ashantay a common name?
We classify Ashantay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ashantay most popular?
The single biggest year for Ashantay was 2002, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ashantay is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ashantay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ashantay a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ashantay in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ashantay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ashantay in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ashantay can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Ashantay?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Ashantay, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.