Find out how popular the last name Ashton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ashton.

Ashton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ashton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ashton in America

Ashton is the 2922nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ashton surname appeared 12,263 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Ashton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ashton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ashton

The surname Ashton originated in England and derives from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree and "tun" meaning town or settlement. It refers to a place where ash trees grew abundantly. The name was first recorded in Leicestershire, England in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Aisetone" and "Aisctune."

The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Aiston, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. The name also appeared as Aystun in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1275. Over time, the spelling evolved to Ashton, which became the most common form by the 16th century.

In the 13th century, the Ashtons of Ashton-under-Lyne in Lancashire emerged as a prominent family. Sir John Ashton (1442-1513) was a notable member of this family, serving as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales under Henry VII and Henry VIII.

Another significant historical figure was Sir Ralph Ashton (1563-1619), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Middleton, Lancashire. He served as High Sheriff of Lancashire and was involved in the local government.

Sir Thomas Ashton (1633-1718) was a successful merchant and politician from Leyton, Essex. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1693 and was knighted by William III.

In the 18th century, Sir Thomas Ashton (1786-1861) was a notable English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench.

The Ashtons of Wigan, Lancashire, were another influential family. One member, Thomas Ashton (1818-1898), was a wealthy cotton manufacturer and philanthropist who served as Mayor of Wigan and supported various educational and charitable causes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ashton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ashton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ashton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ashton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ashton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ashton, please contact us.

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