UK girl's name
Ashwini
A feminine Hindu name denoting the twin deities representing morning twilight.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2017. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ashwini is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ashwini popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2017 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4763, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 6 births.
This profile covers 58 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 1997 to 2017. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 67% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 58 living people in the UK are called Ashwini. 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 2018 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ashwini ranked #4763 for girls in England and Wales in 2017, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 6 girls were registered as Ashwini.
- • About 58 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ashwini as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4763
2017
Births in 2017
4
Latest year
Peak year
2008
6 births
Estimated living
58
2026
Meaning
What does Ashwini mean?
The name Ashwini has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has been spoken in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. It is believed to have first appeared in the Vedas, the oldest sacred scriptures of Hinduism, which date back to around 1500-500 BCE.
Ashwini is derived from the Sanskrit word "ashva," meaning horse, and is often associated with the Ashvins, the twin horsemen or divine horsemen in Hindu mythology. The Ashvins were revered as the gods of healing, and their names were invoked in prayers for health, fertility, and protection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ashwini can be found in the Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism. In the Rigveda, the Ashvins are mentioned as the deities who bring light, dispel darkness, and protect the worshippers from harm.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ashwini. One of the most famous was Ashwini Kumaraswamy (1877-1953), an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. Another prominent Ashwini was Ashwini Kumar Dutta (1856-1923), a Bengali writer, journalist, and social reformer who advocated for women's education and abolition of the caste system.
In the field of science, Ashwini Kumar Gupta (1923-2001) was an Indian physicist and academician who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear physics and cosmic rays. In the world of sports, Ashwini Nachappa (born 1989) is an Indian tennis player who has represented her country in numerous international tournaments.
The name Ashwini has also been associated with several deities and spiritual figures in Hindu mythology. One notable example is Ashwini, the wife of Shiva and the goddess of fertility and prosperity. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman riding a horse or a chariot drawn by horses.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ashwini over time
The chart below shows babies named Ashwini registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2017. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ashwini, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2017, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashwini by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ashwini 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 | #5166 | 18 | 5 |
| 2000s | #3721 | 30 | 7 |
| 1990s | #3632 | 10 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Ashwini
- 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
Ashwini: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ashwini in the UK right now?
In 2017, Ashwini was ranked #4763 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Ashwini most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 6 babies registered as Ashwini in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ashwini?
A feminine Hindu name denoting the twin deities representing morning twilight.
How many people are called Ashwini in the UK?
A total of 58 babies have been registered as Ashwini across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.