Ashland
From a combination of the Old English "æsc" meaning ash tree and "land".
Name Census estimates that about 829 living Americans carry the first name Ashland. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Ashland today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ashland births was 2006 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ashland. 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.
People living today
829
~ 1 in 413,455 Americans
Peak year
2006
39 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,838
Tracked since 1983
Gender
Gender distribution for Ashland
Ashland leans heavily female at 80.4% of total registrations, but 166 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ashland as a male name
- Ranked #9,838 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2015 (11 births)
Ashland as a female name
- Ranked #12,273 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1996 (29 births)
Popularity
Ashland: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ashland from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 265 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashland 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 Ashland during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ashlands live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Tennessee, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Ashland, while Texas, California, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ashland
The name Ashland originated in Old English, derived from the words "æsc" meaning ash tree and "land" meaning land or territory. It was initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near an ash tree or in a region with abundant ash trees.
The earliest recorded use of Ashland as a given name dates back to the late 16th century in England. It was initially more common as a surname, but over time, it transitioned into a masculine given name.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Ashland was Ashland Cotton (1597-1671), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Warwickshire during the reign of Charles I.
In the 18th century, Ashland gained some popularity as a given name in the American colonies. Ashland Greenwood (1725-1798), a farmer and militiaman from Massachusetts, fought in the American Revolutionary War and is documented as one of the earliest Americans with this name.
The name Ashland received a significant boost in popularity in the early 19th century due to the fame of Henry Clay (1777-1852), a prominent American statesman and politician. Clay's estate in Kentucky was named "Ashland," and the name became closely associated with him. This association likely contributed to the rise of Ashland as a given name.
Another notable figure with the name Ashland was Ashland Vinton (1809-1873), a U.S. Representative from Ohio who served in the 34th and 35th Congresses.
In more recent history, Ashland Mines (1916-2004) was an American architect and designer, known for his work on several high-profile projects, including the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
While the name Ashland has never been extremely common, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in English-speaking countries, reflecting its origins and associations with nature and notable individuals.
People
Ashland + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ashland 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
Ashland: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ashland?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 829 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ashland 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 413,455 US residents.
Is Ashland a common name?
We classify Ashland as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 846 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ashland most popular?
The single biggest year for Ashland was 2006, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ashland is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ashland a female name?
Yes, 80.4% of people registered as Ashland 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.
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.