The Ash surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 21,030 people carried this name — #1,709 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,000 people counted. That is up 3% from 20,500 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ash surname

A topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived near ash trees.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ash» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the ash’.

An early record he cites: John atte Assh, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Ash, Ashe and Aysh.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 61 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Ash was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Staffordshire: 22 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 455. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Staffordshire 22
Buckinghamshire 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

65 families named Ash, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 359 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 17
New York 7
Maryland 7
Virginia 7
New Hampshire 6
Maine 5
North Carolina 5
Massachusetts 4
South Carolina 3
Connecticut 2
Vermont 1
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 227 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Ash in American newspapers,
1905–1911.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Ash
Daily Kennebec Journal 1905-04-26
Newspaper page from Evening Journal carrying the name Ash
Evening Journal 1908-02-14
Newspaper page from The Cecil Whig carrying the name Ash
The Cecil Whig 1911-01-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,055 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ash in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

70,344 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ash. The most, 14,421, date from the 1890s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 24,107
South Australia 17,297
Victoria 11,710
Queensland 8,737
Western Australia 5,106
Tasmania 2,945
ACT (Canberra) 247
Northern Territory 49

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ash.

Who carried it

People named Ash,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Ash
    John Ash 1723–1798 · physician
  • Sidney R. Ash d. 1979 · botanist
  • Lady Elizabeth Emma Douglas d. 1857
  • Barbara Ash d. 1955
  • Hester Ash d. 1682
  • William Ash 1301–1411 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ash,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,363 records

2,363 records of the Ash name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 782
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 549
  • Other U.S. records 1,032
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ronnie Edwards Ash

    Born 1945; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in service 1970 in Phuoc Long, South Vietnam. Buried at Philadelphia National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Henry Ash

    Born 1890 in Poland. Enlisted 1940 at San Diego, California; accountant from San Diego County, California. U.S. Army veteran; died 1956, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Ash

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 26; servant. From Queenstown, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,363 records for Ash in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia823 records

823 records of the Ash name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 446
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 161
  • Other Australian records 216
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Ash

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Marquis of Hastings, sailing from Portsmouth in 1839. Native of Northampton, Northamptonshire. Married 1844 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Ash

    Died 1829 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27. Will registered in Tasmania in 1829.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frances Grace Ash

    Born 1867 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1897 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 29.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 823 records for Ash in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada419 records

419 records of the Ash name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 354
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 26
  • Other Canadian records 39
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Clarence Ash

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, private; of Truro, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Ash

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Manitoban, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Amy Ash

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Betsey, bound for Annapollis Royal, aged 26.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 419 records for Ash in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

United Kingdom49 records

49 records of the Ash name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 35
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 12
  • Other British records 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Ernest Ash

    Will proved in 1940; of Goodwick, Pembrokeshire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ash

    Buried in 1793 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 52.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. T. Ash

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 49 records for Ash in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand20 records

20 records of the Ash name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 15
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Ash

    Died 1952, aged 80; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Albert Edward Ash

    Died 1981, aged 74; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record R. Ash

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Ash in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands6 records

6 records of the Ash name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Beryl Audrey Ash

    Married in 1947 in Beemster; nurse.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Robert Vacy Clifford Ash

    Married in 1906 in Rijswijk.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jane Ash

    Married in 1767 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Ash in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the Ash name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Robert Gordon Ash

    Born 1910 in the United States; died 2000 in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ash.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ash is.
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Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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