Ashley

Meaning: Ash tree clearing
Origin: Old English

Nicknames: Ash

Girl's name · #164 in the US (2025) · 80s wave

Popularity over time

Ashley first appeared in 1917, vanished from the records entirely for 20 years, then rose all the way to America's #1 name by 1991 — it has faded to #164 since. About 860,000 girls have carried it in all.

Across the states

See where Ashley is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 41 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Ashley ranks in other countries and regions.

#24 in Ecuador (2025) · #126 in Mexico (2024) · #450 in Ireland (2025) · #498 in France (2025) · #679 in Austria (2025) · #1,030 in Belgium (2025) · #1,276 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,465 in Switzerland (2025) · #376 in Canada (2024).

Famous Ashleys

Ashley Tisdale — American actress and singer (born 1985)
Ashley Judd — American actress
Ashley Greene — American actress
Ashley Benson — American actress
Ashley Olsen — American businesswoman, fashion designer and actress (born 1986)

In stories & tradition

Ashley Graham — Resident Evil 4 (video game)
Ashley Kafka — Marvel Comics
Ashley Abbott — The Bold and the Beautiful (TV series)

What Ashleys become

Among 1,528 notable people named Ashley:

Sports figures appear 2.48× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ashley Lawrence, Canadian soccer player.

Twin names

Popular twin pairings with Ashley include Allison and Emily for girls.

Spellings & nicknames

About 190 boys a year are given Ash as their full name.

Similar names: Ashly · Samantha · Azul · Molly · Allison · Hailey

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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