Ashley
Girl name · #164 in 2025 · Well-known
Ashley ranks #164 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 1,829 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #86, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 984 girls born in 2025 was named Ashley.
The 108-year story
Ashley first appears in the Social Security records in 1917, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1987, when 54,856 girls were named Ashley — good for #2 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Ashley per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Ashley against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Ashley in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Ashley is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Ashley is most common
Geography matters for names, and Ashley is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Ashley is most common in FL (3.3 per 1,000), MD (2.7 per 1,000), KY (2.5 per 1,000), NV (2.4 per 1,000), NE (2.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.4 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Ashley is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Ashley
Statistically, parents drawn to Ashley tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Mallory, Rachel, Molly, Samantha, and Amanda.
MalloryRachelMollySamanthaAmandaLaurenAmberBailey
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Ashley | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,829 | #164 |
| 2024 | 2,240 | #124 |
| 2023 | 2,184 | #126 |
| 2022 | 1,865 | #154 |
| 2021 | 1,700 | #172 |
| 2020 | 1,808 | #153 |
| 2019 | 2,031 | #137 |
| 2018 | 2,280 | #129 |
| 2017 | 2,528 | #122 |
| 2016 | 3,045 | #101 |
| 2015 | 3,429 | #86 |
| 2014 | 3,560 | #87 |
| 2013 | 3,943 | #67 |
| 2012 | 4,701 | #50 |
| 2011 | 5,403 | #42 |
| 2010 | 6,317 | #29 |
| 2009 | 7,815 | #20 |
| 2008 | 9,408 | #18 |
| 2007 | 11,428 | #13 |
| 2006 | 12,353 | #12 |
| 2005 | 13,276 | #10 |
| 2004 | 14,377 | #8 |
| 2003 | 14,519 | #8 |
| 2002 | 15,344 | #6 |
| 2001 | 16,531 | #4 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Ashley a popular girl name?
Ashley ranked #164 among girls in 2025 with 1,829 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #86.
When was the name Ashley most popular?
Ashley peaked in 1987, when 54,856 American girls received the name (ranked #2 that year). Since 1987 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Ashley?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 984 newborn American girls was named Ashley. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.