NameCensus.

UK surname

Ashmead

A place name originating from England, meaning a meadow covered in ash trees.

In the 1881 census there were 234 people recorded with the Ashmead surname, ranking it #11,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 262, ranked #16,256, down from #11,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, and Lancaster Borough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wychavon, Stroud and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ashmead is 290 in 2007. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.0%.

1881 census count

234

Ranked #11,607

Modern count

262

2016, ranked #16,256

Peak year

2007

290 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ashmead had 234 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 262 in 2016, ranked #16,256.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 269 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ashmead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ashmead surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ashmead 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 179 #11,346
1861 historical 169 #13,823
1881 historical 234 #11,607
1891 historical 262 #12,297
1901 historical 269 #12,518
1911 historical 236 #13,452
1997 modern 263 #14,769
1998 modern 275 #14,715
1999 modern 283 #14,501
2000 modern 278 #14,659
2001 modern 271 #14,691
2002 modern 268 #15,081
2003 modern 269 #14,855
2004 modern 274 #14,762
2005 modern 277 #14,542
2006 modern 285 #14,361
2007 modern 290 #14,372
2008 modern 289 #14,502
2009 modern 290 #14,778
2010 modern 286 #15,231
2011 modern 276 #15,471
2012 modern 268 #15,745
2013 modern 269 #15,963
2014 modern 275 #15,831
2015 modern 270 #15,911
2016 modern 262 #16,256

Geography

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Where Ashmeads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Lancaster Borough, Charlton Kings and Clifton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wychavon, Stroud, Bristol and Gloucester. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
3 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
4 Charlton Kings Gloucestershire
5 Clifton Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wychavon 013 Wychavon
2 Wychavon 011 Wychavon
3 Stroud 002 Stroud
4 Bristol 038 Bristol, City of
5 Gloucester 002 Gloucester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ashmead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ashmead

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ashmead, 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 Ashmead surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ashmead 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Ashmead is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ashmead 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

Ashmead falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ashmead is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ashmead

The surname ASHMEAD is of English origin, derived from a locational name for someone who lived near an ash tree meadow. It is composed of the Old English elements "æsc" meaning ash tree and "mæd" meaning meadow.

The name ASHMEAD was first recorded in Lancashire in the 13th century. One of the earliest records of the name is found in the Feet of Fines for Hertfordshire in 1305, where it appears as Giles de Asshemede.

In the 14th century, the name is recorded in various forms such as Asshemedwe, Aschemedwe, and Aschemede, reflecting the different spellings used at the time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a William de Asshemede from Oxfordshire.

The ASHMEAD surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records landowners and tenants at the time of the Norman Conquest. The name appears as Aiscemede, referring to a place in Gloucestershire.

Notable individuals with the surname ASHMEAD include John Ashmead (1670-1736), an early American colonial settler and Quaker who emigrated from England to Pennsylvania in 1682. William Ashmead Courtenay (1833-1908) was an English clergyman and Bishop of Kingston, Jamaica.

Elizabeth Ashmead (1859-1940), born in Philadelphia, was an American educator and one of the founders of the Springside School for Girls in Pennsylvania. Isaac Ashmead (1790-1870), born in Philadelphia, was an American merchant and philanthropist who helped establish the Franklin Institute.

John Ashmead (1738-1828), born in Philadelphia, was an American merchant and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ashmead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ashmead 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. Gloucestershire leads with 130 Ashmeads recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.54x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 130 29.54x
Middlesex 30 1.34x
Surrey 18 1.65x
Warwickshire 15 2.65x
Lancashire 12 0.45x
Yorkshire 7 0.31x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.32x
Staffordshire 4 0.53x
Worcestershire 4 1.37x
Shropshire 3 1.55x
Northamptonshire 2 0.95x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rodborough in Gloucestershire leads with 20 Ashmeads recorded in 1881 and an index of 938.97x.

Place Total Index
Rodborough 20 938.97x
Clifton 16 71.91x
Stroud 16 186.92x
Aston 9 5.78x
Charlton Kings 9 296.05x
Stonehouse 9 360.00x
Barnwood 7 1186.44x
Lambeth 7 3.58x
Tottenham 7 19.59x
Bristol St George 6 29.48x
Prestbury 6 550.46x
Richmond 6 39.16x
Rotherham 6 47.89x
Skerton 6 273.97x
St Pancras London 6 3.32x
Birmingham 5 2.65x
Cheltenham 4 11.78x
Minchinhampton 4 113.96x
Ridgacre 4 689.66x
West Derby 4 5.14x
Westbury On Severn East 4 40.20x
Edgeworth 3 3000.00x
Elmore 3 1111.11x
Nottingham St Mary 3 3.84x
Putney 3 29.33x
Shifnal 3 57.03x
Upton St Leonards 3 267.86x
Westminster St James 3 13.01x
Awre 2 219.78x
Blaisdon 2 1250.00x
Cannock 2 15.14x
Hammersmith London 2 3.62x
Kensington London 2 1.60x
Kingswinford 2 7.27x
Leonard Stanley 2 344.83x
Northampton St Sepulchre 2 18.62x
Randwick 2 229.89x
Shoreditch London 2 2.06x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 2 62.89x
Westbury On Trym 2 13.41x
Willesden 2 9.46x
Ardwick 1 4.16x
Camberwell 1 0.70x
Daglingworth 1 384.62x
Gloucester Barton St 1 38.76x
Gloucester Holy Trinity 1 263.16x
Gloucester St Mary Crypt 1 147.06x
Gloucester St Michael 1 99.01x
Hampstead London 1 2.86x
Hendon 1 12.39x
Horsley 1 51.28x
Kimberworth 1 8.10x
Linton 1 74.07x
North Hamlet 1 256.41x
Paddington London 1 1.21x
Ratley 1 322.58x
Rendcombe 1 625.00x
South Hamlet 1 36.76x
St Marylebone London 1 0.83x
Standard Hill 1 138.89x
Stapleton 1 11.98x
Toxteth Park 1 1.11x
Wandsworth 1 4.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Sarah 10
Harriett 7
Edith 6
Elizabeth 6
Annie 5
Alice 4
Ann 4
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Emily 4
Agnes 3
Esther 3
Jane 3
Kate 3
Martha 3
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Hester 2
Isabella 2
Laura 2
Selina 2
A.E. 1
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Daisy 1
Elizebeth 1
Ester 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
H. 1
Harriette 1
Ivy 1
Jessie 1
Katie 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucretia 1
Maria 1
Mariah 1
Marriane 1
Marrie 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
George 12
Alfred 8
Joseph 7
Thomas 6
Charles 5
Edward 4
Frederick 4
James 4
John 4
Arthur 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Richard 2
Alexander 1
Aurthur 1
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredk.J. 1
Giles 1
H.T. 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Jesse 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
W.G. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Ashmead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ashmead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 234 people were recorded with the Ashmead surname. That placed it at #11,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ashmead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 262 in 2016. That gives Ashmead a modern rank of #16,256.

What does the Ashmead surname mean?

A place name originating from England, meaning a meadow covered in ash trees.

What does the Ashmead map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Ashmead 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.