Explore the Family Name Ashley
The meaning of Ashley
1. English: habitational name from any of numerous places (especially in southern and central England) named Ashley, from Old English æsc ‘ash’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. 2. Americanized form of French Canadian Asselin 2. 3. In some cases also an Americanized form of German Eschler. History: The name of Capt. John Ashley appears in the VA Charter of 1609. For more than two centuries his descendants were prominent in Norfolk, VA. A branch of the family settled in Pittsburgh in the early 19th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ashley in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Ashley has seen a slight decrease in ranking from 852 in 2000 to 900 in 2010, marking a change of -5.63%. However, the count for this surname increased by about 4% over the same period from 37,021 to 38,499. Despite the increased count, the proportion of people bearing the Ashley surname per 100,000 has actually declined by around 5% from 13.72 to 13.05.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #852 | #900 | -5.63% |
| Count | 37,021 | 38,499 | 3.99% |
| Proportion per 100k | 13.72 | 13.05 | -4.88% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ashley
The ethnicity associated with the surname Ashley also saw some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of Ashleys who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander rose significantly by around 67%, while those identifying as two or more races increased by over 32%. Conversely, individuals recognizing themselves as white decreased by approximately 3.4%. The Hispanic representation within the Ashley surname saw an increase of nearly 47%, while the black community experienced a modest growth of 5.1%. The percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native Ashleys remained almost steady with a negligible decrease of 0.42%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 74.37% | 71.84% | -3.4% |
| Black | 19.6% | 20.6% | 5.1% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.36% | 2.35% | -0.42% |
| Hispanic | 1.58% | 2.31% | 46.2% |
| Two or More Races | 1.7% | 2.25% | 32.35% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.39% | 0.65% | 66.67% |
Ashley ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Ashley is British & Irish, which comprises 54.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.5%) and Eastern European (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.5% |
| French & German | 22.5% |
| Eastern European | 3.4% |
| Other | 19.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Ashley
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Ashley have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 86.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 86.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 86.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.10% |
What Ashley haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Ashley is I-L233, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L233 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-L664 and R-DF98, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Glover, Voss, Green, Gray, Ward, Giles, White, Smith, Lang, Thompson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ashley surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Ashley have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Ashley" Surname 41.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Ashley" Surname 27.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Ashley" Surname 21.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Ashley" Surname 20.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Ashley?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Ashley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition