Ashoka
A masculine name of Indian origin meaning "without sorrow" or "free from grief".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Ashoka. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ashoka today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ashoka births was 2012 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ashoka. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ashoka. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2012
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,187
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Ashoka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ashoka from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 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
Ashoka 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 Ashoka 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 Ashoka
The name Ashoka has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, dating back to the 3rd century BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "a-shoka," which means "without sorrow" or "free from grief." This name was borne by one of the most celebrated rulers of ancient India, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great.
Ashoka the Great, who ruled from around 268 BCE to 232 BCE, was known for his promotion of Buddhism and his efforts to spread the teachings of the Buddha throughout his vast empire. He is credited with erecting numerous rock and pillar edicts, inscribed with Buddhist teachings and moral principles, across the Indian subcontinent. The Ashokan edicts are among the earliest known inscriptions in South Asia and are of immense historical and linguistic significance.
The name Ashoka appears in various ancient Buddhist texts, including the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa, which chronicle the life and reign of the emperor. These texts highlight his remarkable transformation from a ruthless conqueror to a compassionate and benevolent ruler, inspired by the teachings of Buddhism.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ashoka can be found in the Ashokan inscriptions themselves, where the emperor refers to himself as "Devanampiya Piyadasi" or "Beloved of the Gods, Beloved of Men." The name Ashoka gained widespread recognition and reverence throughout the Indian subcontinent and beyond due to the emperor's influence.
Apart from Ashoka the Great, several other notable individuals have borne this name throughout history. Ashoka Maurya, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, was a renowned ruler of the Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BCE. Ashoka Chakra, an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary, played a significant role in the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. Ashoka Ghosh, an eminent Bengali poet and writer, was born in 1909 and contributed significantly to the literary landscape of Bengal.
The name Ashoka has also been associated with various spiritual and religious figures. Ashoka, a Buddhist monk and scholar, lived in the 4th century CE and is known for his influential commentaries on Buddhist texts. Ashoka Priyadarsana, a Buddhist monk and missionary, played a crucial role in spreading Buddhism to various regions of Asia during the 3rd century BCE.
Throughout its long history, the name Ashoka has carried a connotation of peace, compassion, and spiritual enlightenment, reflecting the legacy of the great emperor and the Buddhist teachings he embraced. Its enduring presence in various cultures and traditions serves as a testament to its profound significance and enduring appeal.
People
Ashoka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ashoka 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
Ashoka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ashoka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ashoka 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Ashoka a common name?
We classify Ashoka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ashoka most popular?
The single biggest year for Ashoka was 2012, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ashoka is about 10 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 Ashoka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ashoka a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ashoka in the SSA data are male. 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 Ashoka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ashoka 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 Ashoka 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 share the name Ashoka?
Find out how many people have the name Ashoka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.