2000
#10,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Ashman
An English occupational surname for someone who burned ash wood or lived near an ash tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,045 Americans carry the last name Ashman. That puts it at #11,356 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashman 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 Ashman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 112,563
Census rank
#11,356
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,655 bearers of the surname Ashman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11356th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashman, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ashman
The surname Ashman has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "æsc" and "mann," meaning "ash man" or someone who lived near an ash tree or worked with ash wood. The name was initially found in areas with large ash forests, such as Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Ashman name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1199, where it was spelled "Asceman." This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during the Middle Ages before they became standardized.
In the 13th century, the Ashman surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a record of landowners and their properties. This suggests that some Ashmans were landowners or tenants during this period.
During the 14th century, the name was found in various records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it was spelled "Ascheman." This variation likely reflects regional dialects and scribal variations in spelling.
Notable individuals with the Ashman surname include John Ashman (c. 1545-1623), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1597. Another prominent figure was William Ashman (1629-1704), a British Army officer who served during the English Civil War and later became Governor of the Isle of Wight.
In the 18th century, the Ashman name appeared in the records of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in England, indicating that some members of the family were part of this religious movement.
Other individuals of note include Richard Ashman (1775-1845), an English architect known for his work on Blenheim Palace and other notable buildings, and Thomas Ashman (1819-1894), a British artist and illustrator who specialized in depicting rural life.
Throughout history, variations of the Ashman name have included Ascheman, Asheman, and Assheman, among others. These variations reflect regional dialects, scribal errors, and the evolution of spelling over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashman
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashman, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashman 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 Ashman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 2,061
- Black or African American14.6% · 388
- Two or more races3.8% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashman
Ashman 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
#10,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,152
+451 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 603 places
2020
#11,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,655
-497 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 1,128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,831 | 2,701 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,228 | 3,152 | 1.07 | +451 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 603 places |
| 2020 | #11,356 | 2,655 | 0.89 | -497 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 1,128 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 Ashman 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 | #10,228 | #11,356 | -11.0% |
| Count | 3,152 | 2,655 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.89 | -17.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashman bearers went from 3,152 to 2,655 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 1,128 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,228 to #11,356.
FAQ
Ashman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,045 living Americans carry the surname Ashman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,563 residents.
How common is Ashman?
Ashman ranks #11,356 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,655 people with the surname Ashman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,045), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ashman.
Has Ashman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashman went from 3,152 recorded bearers to 2,655. That is a decrease of 497 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,228 to #11,356.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashman, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ashman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (2,061 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ashman (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 Ashman mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who burned ash wood or lived near an ash tree. 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 Ashman (0.89 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 share the surname Ashman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.