Unisex name ★ peaked 2022

Ash

Meaning A unisex given name transferred from the surname Gender Unisex · 5% girls Rank 2025 #1,177 Trend ↑ Rising 27%

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,177
among boys · ↓26 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
192
named Ash · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,760
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
221 babies
All-time total
2,680
#2,845 all-time among boys
First recorded
1975
in Social Security records

Ash popularity over time

2,680 babies have been named Ash since 1975, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – 10 10 1 – #5,530
1980s – 14 14 1 +40% #4,540
1990s 10 66 76 8 +443% #3,381
2000s 6 358 364 36 +379% #2,469
2010s 44 944 988 99 +171% #1,284
2020s (to 2025) 85 1,143 1,228 205 +107% #1,064

Where Ash is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 183 0.11 outside top 500
2027 190 0.11 outside top 500
2028 196 0.11 outside top 500
2029 201 0.12 outside top 500
2030 206 0.12 outside top 500

Where Ash is most popular

Boys named Ash per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.111 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ash born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 20 0.263 +137%
Washington 34 0.208 +87%
Colorado 24 0.186 +67%
California 147 0.161 +45%
Utah 15 0.157 +41%
Ohio 39 0.147 +32%
Pennsylvania 38 0.143 +29%
Arizona 21 0.128 +15%
Michigan 25 0.122 +10%
Indiana 18 0.112 ≈ national
Georgia 25 0.099 -11%
North Carolina 25 0.098 -12%
Florida 46 0.097 -13%
New York 41 0.095 -15%
Minnesota 11 0.090 -19%
Texas 74 0.084 -24%
Iowa 5 0.073 -35%
Illinois 17 0.067 -40%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -49%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -56%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -67%
New Jersey 7 0.035 -69%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -75%
Virginia 5 0.026 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ash

Ash is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,177 in 2025 with 175 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1975, 2,680 American babies have been named Ash, about 95% boys and 5% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2022, when 221 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ash stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ash?

The median living Ash is about 6 years old; half are between 3 and 12. An estimated 2,700 people named Ash are alive in the United States today.

median 6 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ash year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 17 #6,572 175 #1,177
2024 21 #5,815 182 #1,151
2023 8 #11,300 204 #1,064
2022 19 #6,261 202 #1,078
2021 13 #8,083 197 #1,076
2020 7 #12,308 183 #1,084
2019 11 #9,191 145 #1,284
2018 5 #15,976 128 #1,375
2017 7 #12,874 134 #1,335
2016 9 #10,979 140 #1,295
2015 – – 99 #1,613
2014 – – 68 #2,064
2013 5 #16,859 59 #2,208
2012 – – 65 #2,091
2011 7 #13,523 55 #2,320
2010 – – 51 #2,430
2009 – – 49 #2,563
2008 – – 40 #2,953
2007 – – 38 #3,030
2006 6 #15,364 46 #2,585
2005 – – 46 #2,469
2004 – – 29 #3,288
2003 – – 33 #2,929
2002 – – 29 #3,105
2001 – – 24 #3,518
2000 – – 24 #3,431
1995 – – – –
1990 5 #13,154 – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – 5 #5,530
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ash

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ash Carter Ash Carter American government official and academic (1954–2022) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ash, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ash?

The median living Ash is about 6 years old. Half of all living Ashs are between 3 and 12 years old.

How many people named Ash are alive today?

An estimated 2,700 people named Ash are alive in the United States, based on 2,680 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ash mean?

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Ash in 2025?

Ash ranked #1,177 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 175 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ash?

2,680 babies have been named Ash in the United States since 1975, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ash most popular?

Ash peaked in 2022, when 221 newborns received the name.

Is Ash a boy or girl name?

Ash is used for both: about 5% of babies named Ash have been girls and 95% boys.

Is the name Ash rising or falling?

Ash is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ash become more popular?

Ash is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 206 boys named Ash in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ash?

Well-known people named Ash include Ash Carter (physicist).

Names like Ash

Names that sound and feel close to Ash: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ash with similar names → More names starting with A →