Ashley

“Ash tree clearing” — Old English origin

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

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. Ash is a short form of Ashley. Popular twin pairings with Ashley include Allison and Emily for girls.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,800 girls in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 2,600 girls in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 3,000 girls in France (2025).

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

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
Ashley Kafka — Earth-616
Ashley Abbott — The Bold and the Beautiful · The Young and the Restless

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.

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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