How Many People Are Named Ashley?
An estimated 836,912 people in the United States have the first name Ashley, ranking it #36 among all first names. It is predominantly female (98.2%). The average bearer is 33 years old, and Ashley peaked in popularity in 1987 with 55,262 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Lisa (825,085).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Ashley as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Ashley paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Ashley has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- While Ashley is overwhelmingly female, 15,837 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Ashley has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
836,912
About 1 in 410 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Female
98.2% confidence
Average Age
33
years old
Peak Year
1987
55,262 births
Total Registered
873,844
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Ashley
Ashley is predominantly female (98.2%), though 15,837 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Ashley as a male name
Ranked #3,886 in 2024
28 male births in 2024
Peak: 1980 (746 births)
Ashley as a female name
Ranked #124 in 2024
2,231 female births in 2024
Peak: 1987 (54,853 births)
Ashley: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Ashley span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 357,399 babies were registered. Ashley has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Ashley by Decade
How has Ashley tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 80 | 80 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 108 | 108 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 96 | 96 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 365 | 360 | 5 | |
| 1920s | 464 | 464 | 0 | |
| 1930s | 305 | 298 | 7 | |
| 1940s | 689 | 603 | 86 | |
| 1950s | 880 | 659 | 221 | |
| 1960s | 3,865 | 1,299 | 2,566 | |
| 1970s | 25,273 | 4,219 | 21,054 | |
| 1980s | 357,399 | 5,214 | 352,185 | |
| 1990s | 303,144 | 1,324 | 301,820 | |
| 2000s | 133,705 | 655 | 133,050 | |
| 2010s | 37,543 | 313 | 37,230 | |
| 2020s | 9,928 | 145 | 9,783 | |
Ashley by State
Birth registrations for Ashley span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska. On average, about 17,022 Ashleys were registered per state.
Ashley + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Ashley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Ashley
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
Ashley: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ashley?
We estimate approximately 836,912 people named Ashley are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 410 Americans share this first name.
Is Ashley a common name?
Ashley is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 873,844 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Ashley most popular?
Ashley reached peak popularity in 1987, when 55,262 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Ashley is approximately 33 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Ashley a female name?
Ashley is predominantly female. 98.2% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Ashley Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Ashley Smith, Ashley Johnson, Ashley Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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