2000
#2,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.31
Uncommon Last name
Ashton
From an English place name meaning "ash tree town," referring to a town or village near ash trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,545 Americans carry the last name Ashton. That puts it at #2,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashton 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 Ashton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,305
Census rank
#2,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,812 bearers of the surname Ashton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashton
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashton 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 Ashton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 9,154
- Black or African American13.0% · 1,531
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 499
- Two or more races4.0% · 469
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashton
Ashton 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
#2,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,263
+644 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#2,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,812
-451 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,830 | 11,619 | 4.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,922 | 12,263 | 4.16 | +644 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #2,981 | 11,812 | 3.95 | -451 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 59 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 Ashton 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 | #2,922 | #2,981 | -2.0% |
| Count | 12,263 | 11,812 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.16 | 3.95 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashton bearers went from 12,263 to 11,812 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,922 to #2,981.
FAQ
Ashton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashton?
Name Census estimates that about 13,545 living Americans carry the surname Ashton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,305 residents.
How common is Ashton?
Ashton ranks #2,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,812 people with the surname Ashton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Ashton.
Has Ashton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashton went from 12,263 recorded bearers to 11,812. That is a decrease of 451 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,922 to #2,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashton, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ashton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (9,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (13.0%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ashton (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 Ashton mean?
From an English place name meaning "ash tree town," referring to a town or village near ash trees. 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 Ashton (3.95 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 are called Ashton?
See how common the surname Ashton is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.