UK name, mostly girls
Ashlea
Feminine form of "Ashley", a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning "ash tree meadow".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ashlea is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Ashlea popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5493, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 52 births.
This profile covers 367 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2020. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 6% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 400 living people in the UK are called Ashlea. 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 2021 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ashlea ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales in 2020, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 52 girls were registered as Ashlea.
- • Ashlea ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #629 in 2000.
- • About 400 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ashlea as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.2% of Ashlea registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5493
2020
Births in 2020
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
52 births
Estimated living
400
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Ashlea
In England and Wales birth records, Ashlea has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 0.8% of registrations are for boys and 99.2% 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.
Ashlea registered for boys
- Ranked #2,859 in 1997
- 3 boys registered in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (3 births)
Ashlea registered for girls
- Ranked #5,493 in 2020
- 3 girls registered in 2020
- Peak: 1996 (52 births)
Meaning
What does Ashlea mean?
The name Ashlea is a modern variation of the name Ashley, which has its origins in the Old English language. The name Ashley is derived from the Old English words "æsc" meaning "ash tree" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." The combination of these words suggests that the name Ashley originally referred to a meadow where ash trees grew.
The name Ashley gained popularity in England during the Middle Ages, particularly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. It was initially used as a surname for people who lived near an ash tree meadow or as a place name for locations with similar geographical features. The earliest recorded use of the name Ashley as a given name dates back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ashley was Sir Robert Ashley, a prominent English landowner and military commander who lived during the 14th century. He played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
In the 16th century, the name Ashley gained popularity as a given name for both males and females. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1621-1683), an English politician and philosopher who was a prominent figure in the Whig movement.
The variation Ashlea emerged in the late 20th century as a more feminine spelling of the name Ashley. While its origin is uncertain, it is believed to have been influenced by the trend of creating more unique and distinctive names by altering the spelling of traditional names.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ashlea was Ashlea Welles, an American actress and model born in 1954. Another notable bearer of the name was Ashlea Ebeling, an American journalist and author who wrote extensively on personal finance and tax issues.
Other historical individuals with the name Ashlea include Ashlea Lansdell, an Australian author and playwright born in 1957, and Ashlea Earl, an American actress and model born in 1981. Additionally, Ashlea Brennan was an Australian cyclist who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ashlea over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Ashlea in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ashlea, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2020, compared with 52 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashlea by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ashlea 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 | #5493 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #3838 | 38 | 6 |
| 2000s | #1346 | 182 | 10 |
| 1990s | #694 | 144 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ashlea is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ashlea. 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.
Ashlea ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #629 in 2000.
Across the UK
Ashlea in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#629 in 2000
10 years of NRS records, 36 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ashlea
-
Ashlea McManus
amateur wrestler
British amateur wrestler
1983-
-
Ashlea Simon
political candidate
British political candidate
Related
Names similar to Ashlea
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Ashlea: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ashlea in the UK right now?
In 2020, Ashlea was ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Ashlea most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 52 babies registered as Ashlea in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ashlea?
Feminine form of "Ashley", a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning "ash tree meadow".
How many people are called Ashlea in the UK?
A total of 367 babies have been registered as Ashlea across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 36 more in Scotland.
Where is Ashlea most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ashlea ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #629 in 2000. 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.