2000
#852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.72
Uncommon Last name
Ashley
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "ash tree clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,764 Americans carry the last name Ashley. That puts it at #941 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ashley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,207
Census rank
#941
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,420 bearers of the surname Ashley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 941st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashley, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ashley
The surname Ashley has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "æsc" (ash tree) and "leah" (woodland clearing or meadow), suggesting that the original bearers of this name resided near an ash tree-lined clearing or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Ashley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror. This ancient manuscript lists several individuals with the surname Ashley or variations of it, such as Aisselegh, Asshelee, and Asheleye, indicating the name's existence in various parts of England during the 11th century.
The Ashley family was prominent in the county of Staffordshire, where they held lands and manors from the 12th century onwards. Notable individuals from this lineage include Sir John Ashley (c. 1350-1399), a knight who served under King Richard II, and Sir Anthony Ashley (c. 1477-1536), who was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London by King Henry VIII.
Another distinguished bearer of the Ashley name was Sir Ralph Ashley (c. 1565-1642), a Member of Parliament and the founder of the Wimborne St Giles branch of the Ashley family in Dorset. His son, Sir Jacob Ashley (1617-1673), also served as a Member of Parliament and was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the surname Ashley gained further prominence through the life of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1621-1683), a prominent English philosopher, politician, and writer. He was a key figure in the political and intellectual landscape of his time and is considered one of the founders of the Whig party.
Another notable individual bearing the Ashley surname was Sir William James Ashley (1860-1927), an English economic historian and professor at Harvard University. His contributions to the field of economic history and his influential works, such as "An Introduction to English Economic History and Theory," have left a lasting impact.
Throughout history, the Ashley surname has been associated with various places and localities, including Ashley in Cheshire, Ashley Green in Buckinghamshire, and Ashley Down in Bristol. These place names, derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further reinforce the locational origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashley
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashley, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashley bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ashley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.5% · 24,959
- Black or African American20.6% · 7,497
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,680
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,075
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 905
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 304
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashley
Ashley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,499
+1,478 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 13.05
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,420
-2,079 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 12.18
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #852 | 37,021 | 13.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #900 | 38,499 | 13.05 | +1,478 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #941 | 36,420 | 12.18 | -2,079 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 41 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ashley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #900 | #941 | -4.6% |
| Count | 38,499 | 36,420 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 13.05 | 12.18 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashley bearers went from 38,499 to 36,420 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #900 to #941.
FAQ
Ashley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashley?
Name Census estimates that about 41,764 living Americans carry the surname Ashley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,207 residents.
How common is Ashley?
Ashley ranks #941 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,420 people with the surname Ashley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Ashley.
Has Ashley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashley went from 38,499 recorded bearers to 36,420. That is a decrease of 2,079 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #900 to #941.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashley, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ashley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (24,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.5%), Black (20.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ashley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ashley mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "ash tree clearing." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ashley (12.18 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ashley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.