NameCensus.

UK surname

Ashurst

A habitational surname for someone who lived near an ash tree grove.

In the 1881 census there were 1,060 people recorded with the Ashurst surname, ranking it #3,717 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,669, ranked #3,739, down from #3,717 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wigan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ashurst is 1,747 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.5%.

1881 census count

1,060

Ranked #3,717

Modern count

1,669

2016, ranked #3,739

Peak year

2002

1,747 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ashurst had 1,060 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,717 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,669 in 2016, ranked #3,739.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,719 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Ashurst surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ashurst surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ashurst 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 406 #5,963
1861 historical 648 #4,145
1881 historical 1,060 #3,717
1891 historical 1,197 #3,581
1901 historical 1,442 #3,525
1911 historical 1,719 #2,849
1997 modern 1,709 #3,487
1998 modern 1,663 #3,704
1999 modern 1,739 #3,588
2000 modern 1,746 #3,560
2001 modern 1,713 #3,551
2002 modern 1,747 #3,567
2003 modern 1,715 #3,554
2004 modern 1,669 #3,637
2005 modern 1,646 #3,645
2006 modern 1,637 #3,668
2007 modern 1,661 #3,650
2008 modern 1,667 #3,654
2009 modern 1,704 #3,657
2010 modern 1,738 #3,669
2011 modern 1,728 #3,643
2012 modern 1,699 #3,648
2013 modern 1,707 #3,694
2014 modern 1,726 #3,673
2015 modern 1,689 #3,710
2016 modern 1,669 #3,739

Geography

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Where Ashursts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wigan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan. 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 Wigan Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 021 Wigan
2 Wigan 012 Wigan
3 Wigan 020 Wigan
4 Wigan 014 Wigan
5 Wigan 018 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ashurst

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ashurst

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ashurst, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Ashurst surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Ashurst 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Ashurst is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ashurst is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ashurst falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ashurst is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ashurst

The surname Ashurst originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Ashurst, which means "a wood of ash trees" in Old English. The name is found in various counties across England, including Surrey, Kent, and Lancashire.

One of the earliest records of the name Ashurst can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1195, where it is listed as "Asshurst." The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention an individual named Walter de Asshurst in Staffordshire.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Asshurst, Asshyrst, and Assherst, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list John de Asshurst in Lancashire, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 record a Robert de Asshurst in Staffordshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Adam de Ashurst, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the reign of Edward I.

In the 16th century, the name Ashurst appeared in the Sussex Musters of 1588, which recorded individuals responsible for military service. Thomas Ashurst and William Ashurst are listed among those from the parish of Wiston.

Notable individuals with the surname Ashurst include William Henry Ashurst (1792-1868), an English botanist and horticulturist known for his work on orchids and other exotic plants. Henry Ashurst (1614-1680) was a prominent London merchant and politician who served as an alderman and Lord Mayor of London.

Other historical figures with the surname Ashurst include John Ashurst (1630-1680), a Puritan minister and nonconformist preacher in Lancashire; Sir William Ashurst (1647-1720), a British merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1693; and Sir Henry Ashurst (1804-1880), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Gambia and Sierra Leone in the mid-19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ashurst families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ashurst 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. Lancashire leads with 851 Ashursts recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.94x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 851 6.94x
Cheshire 63 2.76x
Yorkshire 43 0.42x
Durham 25 0.81x
Northumberland 14 0.91x
Surrey 14 0.28x
Herefordshire 10 2.36x
Flintshire 8 2.88x
Buckinghamshire 7 1.12x
Leicestershire 5 0.44x
Middlesex 4 0.04x
Suffolk 3 0.24x
Sussex 3 0.17x
Anglesey 2 1.09x
Gloucestershire 2 0.10x
Kent 2 0.06x
Warwickshire 2 0.08x
Derbyshire 1 0.06x
Staffordshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wigan in Lancashire leads with 173 Ashursts recorded in 1881 and an index of 100.90x.

Place Total Index
Wigan 173 100.90x
Ince In Makerfield 98 171.66x
Orrell 97 635.65x
Pemberton 74 151.27x
Hindley 53 101.32x
Upholland 45 286.26x
Everton 23 5.88x
Latchford 22 145.12x
Abram 17 180.47x
Skelmersdale 17 83.13x
Barton Upon Irwell 16 17.32x
Little Bolton 16 10.14x
Coxlodge 14 119.66x
Newton In Ashton Under 14 62.17x
Rainford 14 105.50x
Billinge Higher End 13 261.57x
Ashton Under Lyne 12 4.47x
Bedford 12 46.77x
Little Lever 12 76.48x
Aspull 11 38.12x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 11 41.90x
Westhoughton 11 33.60x
Barnsley 10 9.46x
Hereford All Sts 10 51.49x
Holmside 10 131.93x
Barrow In Furness 9 5.39x
Openshaw 9 15.66x
Stockport 9 7.66x
West Derby 9 2.51x
Ashton In Makerfield 8 22.90x
Lathom 8 53.98x
Newington 8 2.09x
Wingate 8 37.93x
Worsbrough 8 26.65x
Great Little Preston 7 238.10x
North Bedburn 7 81.40x
Upton Cum Chalvey 7 28.10x
Warrington 7 4.81x
Ardsley 5 42.34x
Bramhall 5 52.91x
Clifton 5 54.29x
Haydock 5 23.65x
Heaton Norris 5 7.16x
Kearsley 5 19.36x
Kirkdale 5 2.42x
Oldham 5 1.26x
Whitwick 5 34.29x
Golborne 4 25.02x
Great Lever 4 30.72x
Hawarden 4 18.32x
Hawarden Pentrobin 4 90.29x
Hemsworth 4 67.91x
Manchester 4 0.72x
Radcliffe 4 6.76x
Richmond 4 5.67x
Toxteth Park 4 0.96x
Westleigh 4 14.36x
Chadderton 3 5.00x
Dodworth 3 28.20x
Gorleston 3 9.38x
Hove 3 3.92x
Rishton 3 20.85x
Scarisbrick 3 21.07x
Worsley 3 3.97x
Wrightington 3 55.97x
Aston 2 0.28x
Aughton 2 16.46x
Bootle Cum Linacre 2 2.05x
Bradford 2 3.48x
Cheltenham 2 1.28x
Pennington In Leigh 2 8.50x
Soothill 2 5.40x
Holyhead 1 2.93x
Honley 1 5.58x
Lowton 1 11.98x
Reigate Foreign 1 1.83x
St George Hanover Square 1 0.55x
St Luke London 1 0.60x
Walton On Hill 1 1.50x
Windle 1 1.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 91
Elizabeth 64
Ann 46
Margaret 41
Alice 38
Jane 33
Ellen 31
Sarah 29
Annie 14
Martha 13
Catherine 10
Hannah 8
Agnes 6
Anne 6
Betty 5
Eliz. 5
Eliza 5
Esther 5
Kate 5
Margt. 5
Emma 4
Margret 4
Charlotte 3
Frances 3
Harriet 3
Maria 3
Rebecca 3
Caroline 2
Eleanor 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Lucy 2
Ruth 2
Susanna 2
Barbara 1
Bright 1
Elizabethan 1
Elizth. 1
Ellenor 1
Elzth. 1
Helenah 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Jerusha 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Lavinia 1
Lettia 1
Zoe 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 87
Thomas 72
William 65
James 61
Joseph 25
George 24
Robert 22
Henry 19
Charles 11
Richard 10
Peter 8
Ralph 7
Samuel 7
Wm. 7
Thos. 6
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Arthur 4
Frank 4
Walter 4
Edward 3
Ernest 3
Lewis 3
Nathan 3
Robt. 3
Christopher 2
David 2
Elias 2
Frederick 2
Jos. 2
Stephen 2
Chas. 1
Chas.Thos. 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hezekiah 1
Hy. 1
J.W. 1
Jno.Oliver 1
Jonathan 1
Mary 1
Moses 1
Oliver 1
Philip 1
Reuben 1
Roderick 1
Simeon 1
Zechariah 1

FAQ

Ashurst surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ashurst surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,060 people were recorded with the Ashurst surname. That placed it at #3,717 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ashurst surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,669 in 2016. That gives Ashurst a modern rank of #3,739.

What does the Ashurst surname mean?

A habitational surname for someone who lived near an ash tree grove.

What does the Ashurst map show?

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