UK name, mostly girls
Ashly
From Old English roots meaning "ash tree meadow".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2016. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a boys' name in the UK, with 12 boys.
Ashly is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Ashly popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2016 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5785, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 3 births.
This profile covers 9 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2008 to 2016. 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 13 living people in the UK are called Ashly. 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 2017 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ashly ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales in 2016, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 3 girls were registered as Ashly.
- • Ashly ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #485 in 1986.
- • Ashly is also recorded for boys, but the girls side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 13 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ashly as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 57.1% of Ashly registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5785
2016
Births in 2016
3
Latest year
Peak year
2008
3 births
Estimated living
13
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Ashly
In England and Wales birth records, Ashly has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 57.1% of registrations are for boys and 42.9% 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.
Ashly registered for boys
- Ranked #4,052 in 2006
- 3 boys registered in 2006
- Peak: 1996 (3 births)
Ashly registered for girls
- Ranked #5,785 in 2016
- 3 girls registered in 2016
- Peak: 2008 (3 births)
Meaning
What does Ashly mean?
The name Ashly is an English variant of the surname Ashley, which itself is a habitational name derived from the parish of Ashley in Staffordshire, England. The name Ashley is thought to have originated from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree, and "léah" meaning meadow or clearing, indicating it referred to a clearing or meadow where ash trees grew.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ashley dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Asselie" and "Esselie". The first recorded instance of the variant spelling Ashly appears in the 13th century, although it remained relatively uncommon until more recent times.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Ashly was Sir Robert Ashly, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Another notable historical figure with this name was Sir Anthony Ashly (c. 1551-1628), an English courtier and member of parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the Ashly family played a significant role in the English Civil War. Sir Jacob Ashly (1617-1673) was a prominent Parliamentarian commander, while his brother Sir Ralph Ashly (1615-1677) was a Royalist who served as a general in the army of King Charles I.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals named Ashly made their mark in various fields. Robert Ashly (1736-1808) was an English portrait painter who worked in London, while William James Ashly (1806-1877) was a British writer and journalist known for his works on horticulture.
Other notable bearers of the name Ashly include Sir Thomas Ashly (1867-1952), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas, and Lancelot Ashly (1907-1987), a British actor and playwright who appeared in numerous films and television productions.
While the name Ashly has its roots in England, it has since gained popularity in other English-speaking countries, particularly in the United States and Canada, where it is often used as a feminine given name in its own right, rather than just as a variant of Ashley.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ashly over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Ashly in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2016. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ashly, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2016, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashly by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ashly 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5831 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | #5545 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Ashly is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ashly. 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.
Ashly ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #485 in 1986.
Across the UK
Ashly in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#485 in 1986
1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ashly
-
Ashly Rae
model; actor; film director
model and actress
Related
Names similar to Ashly
- 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
Ashly: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ashly in the UK right now?
In 2016, Ashly was ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Ashly most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 3 babies registered as Ashly in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ashly?
From Old English roots meaning "ash tree meadow".
How many people are called Ashly in the UK?
A total of 9 babies have been registered as Ashly across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland.
Where is Ashly most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ashly ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #485 in 1986. 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.