UK name, mostly boys
Asher
A male given name of Hebrew origin meaning "fortunate" or "blessed".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Asher is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Asher popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #150, with 341 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 343 births.
This profile covers 4,021 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 99% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 4,279 living people in the UK are called Asher. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Asher ranked #150 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 341 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 343 boys were registered as Asher.
- • Asher ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #125 in 2024.
- • About 4,279 living people in the UK are estimated to have Asher as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 97.1% of Asher registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#150
2024
Births in 2024
341
Latest year
Peak year
2023
343 births
Estimated living
4,279
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Asher
In England and Wales birth records, Asher has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 97.1% of registrations are for boys and 2.9% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Asher registered for boys
- Ranked #150 in 2024
- 341 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (343 births)
Asher registered for girls
- Ranked #3,015 in 2024
- 8 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (12 births)
Meaning
What does Asher mean?
The name Asher has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is derived from the Hebrew word 'asher', which means 'happy' or 'blessed'. The name first appeared in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis, where it refers to one of the sons of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Leah.
The biblical figure of Asher was born around 1900 BCE and was the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the biblical account, Leah named him Asher, saying "Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed." This suggests that the name was chosen to express joy and gratitude.
Throughout history, the name Asher has been used primarily within Jewish and Christian communities, though it has also been adopted by other cultures. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name outside of biblical literature can be found in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, who lived in the 1st century CE.
Notable individuals named Asher throughout history include:
1. Asher ben Yehiel (c. 1250-1327), a prominent Jewish scholar and biblical commentator from Spain. 2. Asher Lev (c. 1653-1714), a renowned scribe and calligrapher from Poland. 3. Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg (1856-1927), a Zionist leader and Hebrew writer better known as Ahad Ha'am. 4. Asher Lopatin (1901-1981), a Jewish artist and sculptor from Russia. 5. Asher Edelman (born 1939), an American businessman and financial trader.
The name Asher has maintained its popularity within Jewish communities and has also gained wider appeal in recent times. Its meaning of happiness and blessing has contributed to its enduring use as a given name for boys.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Asher over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Asher in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Asher, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 341 births in 2024, compared with 343 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Asher by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Asher was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #166 | 1,592 | 5 |
| 2010s | #311 | 1,597 | 10 |
| 2000s | #452 | 633 | 10 |
| 1990s | #425 | 199 | 4 |
Geography
Where Asher is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Asher. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Asher ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #125 in 2024.
Across the UK
Asher in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#155 in 2024
19 years of NRS records, 204 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#125 in 2024
10 years of NISRA records, 81 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Asher
-
Asher Opoku-Fordjour
rugby union player
English rugby union player
2004-
-
Asher Hart
cricketer
cricketer (born 1997)
1997-
-
Asher Quinn
singer-songwriter
British musician
1952-
-
Asher Shadmon
geologist
Israeli geologist
1923-2011
-
Asher D
rapper
British rapper
1901-
-
Asher Wertheimer
art dealer; art collector
British art dealer (1844-1918)
1844-1918
-
Asher Wright
American Presbyterian missionary
1803-1875
Related
Names similar to Asher
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Asher: questions and answers
How popular is the name Asher in the UK right now?
In 2024, Asher was ranked #150 for boys in England and Wales, with 341 births registered.
When was Asher most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 343 babies registered as Asher in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Asher?
A male given name of Hebrew origin meaning "fortunate" or "blessed".
How many people are called Asher in the UK?
A total of 4,021 babies have been registered as Asher across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 204 more in Scotland and 81 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Asher most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Asher ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #125 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.