girls' name ★ peaked 1987

Ashley

Meaning ash tree Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #164 Trend → Stable

From Old English *Æsċlēah, composed of æsċ (“ash tree”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”).

Rank 2025
#164
among girls · ↓40 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,856
named Ashley · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 879
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1987
55,265 babies
All-time total
875,722
#20 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ashley popularity over time

875,722 babies have been named Ashley since 1880, 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
1020304018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – 80 80 8 – –
1890s – 108 108 11 +35% –
1900s – 96 96 10 -11% –
1910s 5 360 365 37 +280% #4,650
1920s – 464 464 46 +27% –
1930s 7 298 305 31 -34% #3,472
1940s 86 603 689 69 +126% #2,841
1950s 221 659 880 88 +28% #1,763
1960s 2,566 1,299 3,865 387 +339% #361
1970s 21,053 4,219 25,272 2,527 +554% #67
1980s 352,185 5,214 357,399 35,740 +1314% #2
1990s 301,820 1,324 303,144 30,314 -15% #1
2000s 133,051 655 133,706 13,371 -56% #4
2010s 37,237 313 37,550 3,755 -72% #29
2020s (to 2025) 11,626 173 11,799 1,967 -48% #124

Where Ashley is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 1,833 1.14 #163
2027 1,836 1.14 #162
2028 1,839 1.14 #162
2029 1,841 1.15 #162
2030 1,843 1.15 #161

Where Ashley is most popular

Girls named Ashley per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.21 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Florida, and Maryland.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Ashley 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 39 3.29 +172%
Florida 1,274 2.98 +146%
Maryland 297 2.80 +132%
Nebraska 74 2.06 +70%
Texas 1,610 2.00 +65%
Nevada 92 1.98 +64%
New Jersey 355 1.97 +63%
Virginia 332 1.95 +61%
Massachusetts 206 1.70 +41%
New York 667 1.68 +39%
Rhode Island 21 1.68 +39%
Delaware 18 1.59 +31%
Tennessee 251 1.58 +31%
Connecticut 88 1.51 +25%
Kentucky 129 1.51 +25%
Georgia 335 1.47 +22%
Colorado 161 1.44 +19%
North Carolina 325 1.43 +18%
South Carolina 128 1.42 +18%
California 1,147 1.36 +13%
Louisiana 113 1.29 +7%
New Mexico 31 1.27 +5%
Indiana 172 1.23 ≈ national
Iowa 70 1.20 ≈ national
Mississippi 55 1.18 ≈ national
Alabama 110 1.17 ≈ national
Arizona 164 1.17 ≈ national
Utah 97 1.17 ≈ national
Oklahoma 80 1.09 -10%
Illinois 246 1.07 -11%
Washington 152 1.05 -13%
Kansas 59 1.02 -15%
Arkansas 54 1.02 -16%
Oregon 64 0.983 -19%
Minnesota 94 0.871 -28%
Wisconsin 81 0.786 -35%
Pennsylvania 179 0.757 -37%
Idaho 23 0.687 -43%
Missouri 81 0.672 -44%
Ohio 148 0.624 -48%
South Dakota 7 0.490 -59%
Michigan 88 0.483 -60%
Alaska – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Ashley

Ashley is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #164 in 2025 with 1,829 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 875,722 American babies have been named Ashley. Its peak came in 1987, when 55,265 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Ashley stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ashley?

The median living Ashley is about 34 years old; half are between 27 and 39. An estimated 857 thousand people named Ashley are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

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

Ashley 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 1,829 #164 27 #3,957
2024 2,240 #124 28 #3,899
2023 2,184 #126 29 #3,806
2022 1,865 #154 29 #3,778
2021 1,700 #172 31 #3,588
2020 1,808 #153 29 #3,656
2019 2,031 #137 24 #4,235
2018 2,280 #130 34 #3,305
2017 2,528 #122 32 #3,445
2016 3,045 #101 34 #3,300
2015 3,429 #86 26 #3,992
2014 3,560 #87 40 #2,893
2013 3,943 #67 38 #2,961
2012 4,701 #50 17 #5,270
2011 5,403 #42 37 #3,052
2010 6,317 #29 31 #3,461
2009 7,815 #20 37 #3,110
2008 9,408 #18 53 #2,405
2007 11,428 #13 55 #2,339
2006 12,353 #12 59 #2,181
2005 13,276 #10 69 #1,854
2004 14,377 #8 88 #1,517
2003 14,519 #8 78 #1,613
2002 15,344 #6 60 #1,870
2001 16,531 #4 74 #1,600
2000 18,000 #4 82 #1,487
1995 26,606 #2 112 #1,062
1990 45,561 #2 239 #652
1985 47,010 #2 501 #368
1980 7,296 #40 746 #282
1975 1,989 #138 418 #378
1970 927 #305 253 #507
1965 216 #669 121 #676
1960 55 #1,488 89 #808
1955 8 #4,393 81 #812
1950 15 #2,660 57 #904
1945 10 #2,927 57 #830
1940 – – 49 #905
1935 – – 34 #1,125
1930 – – 26 #1,430
1925 – – 57 #890
1920 – – 43 #1,073
1915 – – 47 #906
1910 – – 7 #1,323
1905 – – 10 #791
1900 – – 5 #1,324
1895 – – 10 #689
1890 – – 12 #569
1885 – – 13 #521
1880 – – 8 #684

Famous people named Ashley

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

  1. 1 Ashley Judd Ashley Judd American actress (born 1968) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ashley Olsen Ashley Olsen American businesswoman, fashion designer and actress (born 1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ashley Tisdale Ashley Tisdale American actress and singer (born 1985) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ashley Benson Ashley Benson American actress (born 1989) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ashley Greene Ashley Greene American actress (born 1987) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ashley Jensen Ashley Jensen Scottish actress and narrator (born 1969) Contemporary
  7. 7 Ashley Roberts Ashley Roberts British-American singer (born 1981) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ashley Massaro Ashley Massaro American professional wrestler (1979–2019) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ashley Crow American actress b. 1960 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Ashley Hinshaw Ashley Hinshaw American actress (born 1988) Contemporary
  11. 11 Ashley Scott Ashley Scott American actress (born 1977) Contemporary
  12. 12 Ashley Madekwe Ashley Madekwe English actress (born 1983) Contemporary
  13. 13 Ashley Wagner Ashley Wagner American figure skater (born 1991) Contemporary
  14. 14 Ashley Barnes Ashley Barnes English footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  15. 15 Ashley Graham Ashley Graham American model (born 1987) Contemporary
  16. 16 Ashley Eckstein Ashley Eckstein American actress (born 1981) Contemporary
  17. 17 Ashley Jones Ashley Jones American actress b. 1976 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Ashley Laurence Ashley Laurence American actress b. 1966 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Ashley Rickards Ashley Rickards American actress b. 1992 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Ashley Blue Ashley Blue American pornographic film actress (born 1980/1981) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ashley?

The median living Ashley is about 34 years old. Half of all living Ashleys are between 27 and 39 years old.

How many people named Ashley are alive today?

An estimated 857 thousand people named Ashley are alive in the United States, based on 875,722 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ashley mean?

From Old English *Æsċlēah, composed of æsċ (“ash tree”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”).

How popular is the name Ashley in 2025?

Ashley ranked #164 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,829 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ashley?

875,722 babies have been named Ashley in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ashley most popular?

Ashley peaked in 1987, when 55,265 newborns received the name.

Is Ashley a boy or girl name?

Ashley is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ashley rising or falling?

Ashley is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ashley become more popular?

Ashley looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,843 girls named Ashley in 2030, ranking around #161. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ashley?

Well-known people named Ashley include Ashley Judd (actor), Ashley Olsen (actor), Ashley Tisdale (actor).

Names like Ashley

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

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