ASHMAN
Ashman is an English surname with occupational and personal origins dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle English word asheman, meaning “a person who works with or collects ash wood.” In earlier times ash trees were valued for their strong wood, employed in the manufacture of tools, furniture and other items, and an asheman was someone engaged in that trade.
Alternative derivations, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Assemanus, point to an Old English personal name Aeschmann. This form is thought to be a byname from the Old English word asc “ash tree” combined with mann “man.” It may also denote a seaman, as a compound of aesc “boat made of ash” and mann “man.” The surname is therefore linked both to the ash tree and to occupations relating to wood or seafaring.
The earliest documented bearers of the name appear in the 13th‑century Somerset and Cambridgeshire Hundred Rolls, for example Robert Asheman (1275) and Roger Asman (1279). A later example is Nicolaus Ashman, bailiff of Yarmouth, Norfolk, in the reign of King Edward I. These records confirm that the name was established in southern England by the late 1200s.
Spelling variants have included Ashment, Asman, Ayeman, Ascheman and Asscheman. In London church registers, christenings such as that of Elizabeth Ashman at St. Bride’s, Fleet Street (24 August 1620) and of Thomas Ashman at St. Olave’s, Southwark (25 August 1641) illustrate the name’s continued presence in the capital.
According to the 2019 UK census, the surname Ashman ranked 174th in England and Wales with 17 572 bearers, and 554th in Scotland with 1 609 bearers. In Ireland it appears in approximately 107 households, ranking near 4 482. The name remains most common in the British Isles but has grown abroad, with populations of over 1,000 in Australia and nearly 2,000 in the United States, reflecting patterns of emigration from the United Kingdom.
A recognised coat of arms for the Ashman family consists of a golden shield bearing three silver fleurs‑de‑lis on a red bend, between two black talbot heads, with a crest of a hautboy in pale. This heraldry, granted to the family, reflects the surname’s historical prominence and continues to be accepted by modern bearers.
In summary, the surname Ashman originates from a Middle English occupational term connected with ash wood, bears an early Anglo‑Saxon personal‑name element, and has well‑documented medieval roots in southern England. Its persistence through centuries, reflected in census data and heraldic tradition, attests to its enduring place within English nomenclature.
Typical given names associated with the Ashman surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Carol
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Julie
- Linda
- Lisa
- Louise
- Margaret
- Rebecca
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Ashman in...
Braille
⠁⠎⠓⠍⠁⠝
Morse
.-.......--.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 4,454 people named Ashman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,108th most common surname in Britain. Around 68 in a million people in Britain are named Ashman.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Ashman
- Kevin Ashman - Professional quizzer
- Matthew Ashman - Music guitarist (1960 to 1995)
- Alan Ashman - Football player; Football manager (1928 to 2002)
- Ron Ashman - Football player and manager (1926 to 2004)
- Don Ashman - Football player (1902 to 1)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.