UK girl's name
Ashling
A feminine given name of Irish origin meaning "dream" or "vision".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ashling is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ashling popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5581, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 7 births.
This profile covers 56 England and Wales registrations across 11 recorded years from 1997 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales 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 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 71 living people in the UK are called Ashling. 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 2022 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ashling ranked #5581 for girls in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 7 girls were registered as Ashling.
- • Ashling ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #430 in 2010.
- • About 71 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ashling as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5581
2021
Births in 2021
3
Latest year
Peak year
1999
7 births
Estimated living
71
2026
Meaning
What does Ashling mean?
The name Ashling is an Irish Gaelic name derived from the Old Irish word "aislingí" meaning "dream" or "vision". It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 5th to 8th centuries AD.
The name Ashling has its roots in the ancient Celtic culture and mythology, where dreams and visions were highly regarded as a means of receiving wisdom and guidance from the divine. The name was likely given to children in the hope that they would grow up to have prophetic dreams or visionary abilities.
In Irish folklore and literature, the term "aisling" is often used to refer to a poetic genre that emerged in the 17th century. These "aisling" poems describe a vision or dream in which Ireland, personified as a beautiful woman, laments her oppression and foretells her eventual deliverance from colonial rule.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ashling can be found in the 9th century Irish text "The Book of Invasions", which chronicles the mythical and legendary origins of the Irish people. However, it is unclear whether the name was used as a personal name at that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ashling. One of the most famous was Ashling Ní Chuilleanáin (born 1942), an Irish poet and academic who served as the Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2007 to 2010. Another notable Ashling was Ashling Ní Mhaoileoin (born 1982), an Irish actress and television presenter.
Other historical figures with the name Ashling include Ashling O'Connor (1887-1968), an Irish actress and singer; Ashling O'Loughlin (1928-2011), an Irish poet and translator; and Ashling McDermott (1917-2003), an Irish politician who served as a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
While the name Ashling has its roots in ancient Irish culture and mythology, it has gained popularity in recent times as a unique and meaningful name choice for parents seeking to honor their Irish heritage or the dream-like qualities associated with the name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ashling over time
The chart below shows babies named Ashling registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ashling, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2021, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashling by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ashling 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 | #5581 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5209 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #2780 | 29 | 5 |
| 1990s | #2590 | 17 | 3 |
Geography
Where Ashling is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ashling. 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.
Ashling ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #430 in 2010.
Across the UK
Ashling in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#430 in 2010
4 years of NISRA records, 15 total registered
Related
Names similar to Ashling
- 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
Ashling: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ashling in the UK right now?
In 2021, Ashling was ranked #5581 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Ashling most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 7 babies registered as Ashling in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ashling?
A feminine given name of Irish origin meaning "dream" or "vision".
How many people are called Ashling in the UK?
A total of 56 babies have been registered as Ashling across the 11 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 15 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Ashling most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ashling ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #430 in 2010. 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.