Asley
Of English origin meaning "meadow of ash trees".
Name Census estimates that about 585 living Americans carry the first name Asley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Asley today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Asley births was 1987 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Asley. 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
585
~ 1 in 585,905 Americans
Peak year
1987
62 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,626
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Asley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Asley from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 335 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Asley 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 Asley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Asleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Asley, while Missouri, Illinois, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Asley
The name Asley is of Old English origin, derived from the combination of two elements: "æsc" (ash tree) and "leah" (meadow or clearing). It emerged around the 7th century AD, when Old English was the predominant language spoken in parts of what is now England.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is written as "Aesceleia." This was a topographic name, initially referring to a meadow or clearing where ash trees grew. It was later adopted as a given name.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Asley de Ridware, a landowner from Staffordshire, England, who lived in the 13th century. Another notable historical figure was Sir Asley Cooper, an English surgeon and anatomist who lived from 1768 to 1841 and made significant contributions to the study of anatomy and the treatment of various medical conditions.
In the 16th century, the name gained popularity among the English nobility. Sir Asley Paulet, a prominent courtier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, was born in 1532 and died in 1600. He served as the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire and played a role in the downfall of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Another famous bearer of the name was Asley Cowper, an English poet and satirist who lived from 1666 to 1709. He is best known for his works "The Mistress" and "The Garden," which explored themes of love, nature, and morality.
In the 19th century, Asley Wilkes Cooper, an English lawyer and politician, gained prominence. He was born in 1835 and served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Southampton and Winchester.
While the name Asley was traditionally more common among men, it has also been used as a feminine name in modern times, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its historical roots and early use were predominantly as a masculine given name.
People
Asley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Asley 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
Asley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Asley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 585 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Asley 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 585,905 US residents.
Is Asley a common name?
We classify Asley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 611 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Asley most popular?
The single biggest year for Asley was 1987, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Asley is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Asley a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Asley 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.