The Ashcraft surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,957 people carried this name — #3,576 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 29,600 people counted. That is up 3% from 9,701 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ashcraft surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: Margaret de Asecroft, Norfolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Ashcroft, Ascroft and Ashcraft.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 62 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

17 families named Ashcraft, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 120 people lived in those households, 7.1 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Ashcraft, Ashcroft. 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 7

Connecticut 4

Vermont 2

North Carolina 2

Maryland 1

Virginia 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

Ashcraft in American newspapers,
1900–1929.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Ashcraft — **Evening Star** 1929-06-28

Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Ashcraft — **New-york Tribune** 1900-03-26

Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Ashcraft — **The Washington Times** 1929-06-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 25,519 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ashcraft in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

48 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ashcraft. The most, 10, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 29

Western Australia 6

Queensland 4

Victoria 4

South Australia 3

Tasmania 1

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

Who carried it

People named Ashcraft,
with a public archive behind them.

Daniel Ashcraft 1698–1755
Ichabod Ashcraft 1737–
John Ashcraft 1737–1833
Thomas C. Ashcraft 1832–1865 · lawyer
Jennings B. Ashcraft 1897–1974 · writer
Alan E. Ashcraft, Jr. 1906–1961 · judge

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ashcraft,
in the records of 2 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 States475 records

475 records of the Ashcraft name in the United States

U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 325
U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 116
New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 15
U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 10
New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 6
Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
Sacramento County historic burials 1
U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1

Example: U.S. registration card, 1942

Military record William C. Ashcraft
Born 1904 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; bartender. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1972, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
Example: U.S. war memorial

War record Harry Daniel Ashcraft
Born 1948; from Richmond, Kentucky. U.S. Army, food service specialist; died in an accident 1969 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
Example: passenger manifest, 1903

Passenger record Robert Elliot Ashcraft
Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the George Washington from Liverpool, aged 50; plumber. From Scotland.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 475 records for Ashcraft in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (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) · 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: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the Ashcraft name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923

Example: passenger manifest, 1903

Passenger record W. Thos Ashcraft
Sailed from Victoria in 1864 aboard the Gresham, bound for Guam, aged 27.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Ashcraft in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ashcraft.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ashcraft is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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.

See the Ashcraft volume