NameCensus.

UK surname

Ashby

A locational surname referring to someone from one of several places called Ashby in England, meaning "ash tree farm."

In the 1881 census there were 5,027 people recorded with the Ashby surname, ranking it #888 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,574, ranked #1,026, down from #888 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Northamptonshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Rugby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ashby is 7,135 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.8%.

1881 census count

5,027

Ranked #888

Modern count

6,574

2016, ranked #1,026

Peak year

1999

7,135 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ashby had 5,027 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #888 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,574 in 2016, ranked #1,026.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,568 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ashby surname distribution map

The map shows where the Ashby surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Ashby surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ashby over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,057 #951
1861 historical 3,029 #953
1881 historical 5,027 #888
1891 historical 5,284 #886
1901 historical 6,314 #878
1911 historical 6,568 #789
1997 modern 6,838 #953
1998 modern 7,092 #955
1999 modern 7,135 #958
2000 modern 7,112 #955
2001 modern 6,912 #959
2002 modern 7,091 #950
2003 modern 6,882 #954
2004 modern 6,876 #960
2005 modern 6,598 #995
2006 modern 6,546 #1,002
2007 modern 6,587 #1,005
2008 modern 6,602 #1,006
2009 modern 6,788 #1,001
2010 modern 6,922 #1,004
2011 modern 6,779 #1,007
2012 modern 6,594 #1,012
2013 modern 6,667 #1,021
2014 modern 6,717 #1,020
2015 modern 6,623 #1,024
2016 modern 6,574 #1,026

Geography

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Where Ashbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Lambeth and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Northamptonshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Rugby. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Northamptonshire 002 East Northamptonshire
2 Nuneaton and Bedworth 002 Nuneaton and Bedworth
3 Nuneaton and Bedworth 005 Nuneaton and Bedworth
4 Nuneaton and Bedworth 007 Nuneaton and Bedworth
5 Rugby 003 Rugby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ashby

These lists show first names that appear often with the Ashby surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ashby

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ashby, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Ashby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ashby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Ashby is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ashby is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ashby falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ashby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Ashby, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Ashby

The surname ASHBY is of English origin, deriving from a place name meaning "ash-tree farm" or "ash-tree settlement." It is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century in the East Midlands region of England.

The name is composed of the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree, and "by" meaning a farmstead or village. It likely referred to a settlement or farmstead located near a prominent ash tree or a grove of ash trees.

Some early recorded instances of the name include Roger de Esseby in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, and William de Assheby in the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1198. The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, listed as "Ascebi" and "Aschebi."

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Ashby, a 14th-century English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1384 to 1395. Another notable figure was George Ashby (1507-1593), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, John Ashby (1608-1692) was an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "Reformation Conformity" published in 1689. Later, Thomas Ashby (1874-1931) was a renowned English archaeologist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman sites in Italy.

A more recent figure was Malcolm Ashby (1910-1994), a British cybernetician and pioneer in the field of systems theory, who published influential works on the study of complex systems and their behavior.

Throughout history, variations of the spelling have included Ashbie, Assheby, and Ashbie, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ashby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ashby surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 744 Ashbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 744 1.52x
Kent 666 3.98x
Northamptonshire 432 9.37x
Surrey 421 1.76x
Warwickshire 370 2.99x
Yorkshire 311 0.64x
Hertfordshire 188 5.57x
Essex 162 1.67x
Leicestershire 158 2.91x
Sussex 143 1.73x
Lancashire 135 0.23x
Bedfordshire 134 5.28x
Derbyshire 134 1.75x
Norfolk 113 1.50x
Lincolnshire 109 1.39x
Oxfordshire 105 3.47x
Buckinghamshire 79 2.67x
Suffolk 58 0.97x
Berkshire 53 1.44x
Cambridgeshire 52 1.68x
Nottinghamshire 52 0.79x
Cheshire 50 0.46x
Hampshire 50 0.50x
Staffordshire 47 0.28x
Somerset 46 0.58x
Huntingdonshire 35 3.60x
Gloucestershire 33 0.34x
Durham 31 0.21x
Wiltshire 22 0.51x
Devon 19 0.19x
Worcestershire 16 0.25x
Glamorgan 11 0.13x
Dorset 9 0.28x
Northumberland 5 0.07x
Shropshire 5 0.12x
Lanarkshire 4 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.27x
Royal Navy 3 0.51x
Cardiganshire 2 0.17x
Cornwall 2 0.04x
Herefordshire 2 0.10x
Monmouthshire 2 0.06x
Westmorland 2 0.19x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.08x
Radnorshire 1 0.25x
Renfrewshire 1 0.03x
Rutland 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 91 Ashbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.92x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 91 1.92x
Lambeth 83 1.94x
Croydon 79 5.96x
St Pancras London 63 1.60x
Birmingham 57 1.38x
Lewisham 51 5.72x
Leicester St Margaret 46 3.47x
Tonbridge 45 7.46x
Staines 40 51.54x
Bugbrooke 39 258.62x
Chelsea London 39 2.64x
Coventry St Michael 38 9.57x
Watford 38 14.51x
Willesden 38 8.23x
Derby St Werburgh 37 8.35x
Harlington 37 411.57x
Northampton Priory St 37 13.38x
Clerkenwell London 35 3.03x
Rugby 35 20.93x
Aston 34 1.00x
Towcester 34 71.52x
Coventry Holy Trinity 33 8.94x
West Ham 32 1.50x
Bushey 31 38.55x
Hackney London 31 1.13x
Kensington London 30 1.10x
Northampton All Sts 30 19.18x
Whitstable 30 36.58x
Battersea 29 1.61x
Leicester St Mary 29 6.61x
Hammersmith London 28 2.32x
Ightham 28 133.21x
Northampton St Sepulchre 28 11.94x
Pattishall 27 176.47x
Bethnal Green London 26 1.22x
Maidstone 26 5.22x
Deptford St Paul 25 1.94x
Leyton 24 14.40x
Camberwell 23 0.73x
Fulham London 22 3.10x
Lower Beeding 22 100.18x
Northchurch 22 60.99x
Brighton 21 1.26x
Crick 21 134.87x
Exning 21 69.70x
Finchley 21 11.18x
Luton 21 4.78x
Newington 21 1.16x
Yalding 21 49.74x
Laverton 20 390.63x
Paddington London 20 1.11x
Ellington 19 289.63x
Frome 19 10.07x
Lingfield 19 40.83x
Long Buckby 19 44.57x
Penge 19 6.07x
Radnage 19 265.36x
Stokenchurch 19 70.16x
Bedworth 18 19.96x
Frant 18 30.74x
Holy Trinity 18 1.54x
Hove 18 4.96x
Northampton St Giles 18 10.25x
Oundle 18 34.92x
Poplar London 18 1.95x
Tottenham 18 2.31x
Harmondsworth 17 55.87x
Nottingham St Mary 17 1.00x
Oldham 17 0.91x
Ramsgate 17 6.23x
Tysoe 17 101.55x
Bermondsey 16 1.10x
Ripon 16 14.20x
St Lawrence 16 13.92x
Stowe Nine Churches 16 371.23x
Streatham 16 4.40x
Wellingborough 16 6.90x
Foleshill 15 11.54x
Mile End Old Town London 15 1.44x
Speldhurst 15 17.62x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Ashby surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 300
Elizabeth 194
Sarah 194
Ann 86
Ellen 83
Emma 83
Jane 82
Eliza 81
Alice 67
Emily 65
Annie 61
Hannah 49
Martha 45
Fanny 38
Edith 36
Florence 36
Clara 35
Louisa 35
Ada 33
Harriet 31
Maria 31
Caroline 30
Charlotte 30
Rose 30
Kate 28
Lucy 27
Susan 26
Margaret 25
Harriett 23
Agnes 21
Frances 21
Sophia 21
Catherine 20
Anne 17
Amy 15
Julia 15
Esther 14
Rebecca 13
Susannah 13
Eleanor 12
Ethel 11
Lydia 11
Selina 11
Gertrude 10
Helen 10
Lizzie 10
Amelia 9
Beatrice 9
Minnie 9
Flora 8

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Ashby surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 324
John 232
George 197
Thomas 160
James 128
Henry 116
Charles 108
Alfred 82
Robert 79
Joseph 78
Frederick 66
Arthur 65
Edward 49
Albert 47
Walter 43
Harry 34
Ernest 32
Samuel 31
Richard 30
Frank 26
Herbert 26
Edwin 21
David 17
Fred 16
Francis 14
Stephen 12
Benjamin 11
Wm. 10
Geo. 9
Willm. 9
Edmund 8
Thos. 8
Edgar 7
Fredrick 7
Harold 7
Isaac 7
Peter 7
Reginald 7
Abraham 6
Leonard 6
Sydney 6
Willie 6
Daniel 5
Eli 5
Fredk. 5
Henery 5
Reuben 5
Sidney 5
Christopher 4
Percy 4

FAQ

Ashby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ashby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,027 people were recorded with the Ashby surname. That placed it at #888 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ashby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,574 in 2016. That gives Ashby a modern rank of #1,026.

What does the Ashby surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from one of several places called Ashby in England, meaning "ash tree farm."

What does the Ashby map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Ashby bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.