ASHTON
Ashton is an English surname that derives from place names established during the Anglo‑Saxon period. The element æsc meaning “ash tree” and tūn meaning “enclosure” or “settlement” combine to describe a habitation situated near an ash tree or in an ash‑wooded enclosure. Consequently the name was originally applied to residents of any of the numerous localities throughout England bearing the appellation Ashton.
Several settlements are recorded in antiquity with this designation, including Ashton near Lancaster in Lancashire, which is listed as Estun in the Domesday Book of 1086, Ashton close to Bainton in Northamptonshire, which appears as Aesctun in the Anglo‑Saxon Chronicles of 960, as well as Long Ashton in Somerset, Ashton Gifford in Wiltshire, and the pair of Rood Ashton and Steeple in the same county. The earliest apprehension of the family name is documented by the spelling John de Ascheton in the Hundred Rolls of Somerset in 1273, during the reign of King Edward I.
In its early use the surname was typically a locational identifier, given either to the lord of the manor or to individuals who travelled from one place of origin to another. The habitant who relocated from an Ashton village would therefore be known as “de Ashton”, signalling his previous place of residence. Over time this locational marker evolved into a hereditary surname carried by successive generations.
Historical records contain several notable individuals bearing the name. Thomas de Ashton was a warrior who fought valiantly under Sir Thomas Neville at Neville’s Cross in 1346. Sir Robert de Ashton served as constable of Dover and warden of the Cinque Ports in the year 1380, and Sir John de Ashton was elected Knight of the shire for Lancashire in 1413. Sir Ralph de Ashton held the office of vice‑constable of England and served as lieutenant of the Tower of London in 1483, with the honour of being a page of honour to King Henry V.
In 1647 a Coat of Arms was granted to Major Miles Ashton, a descendant of a noble and ancient Lancastrian family. The silver shield depicts an ash tree rising from a gold urn upon a black chief, above which a silver mullet is displayed. The crest consists of a man armed with a cap‑a‑pie, striking with a scythe, both depicted in proper colour. These heraldic elements visually echo the surname’s toponymic origins.
The surname is recorded in several entries of the Dictionary of National Biography and is associated with more than thirty different Coats of Arms in heraldic registries. Its persistence through the centuries reflects both the commonality of the place names that gave birth to it and the prominence of families who carried the name into the public record.
Typical given names associated with the Ashton surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Sarah
- 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 Ashton in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Ashton are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Oreo.
There are approximately 25,059 people named Ashton in the UK. That makes it the 326th most common surname in Britain. Around 385 in a million people in Britain are named Ashton.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Ashton
- Zawe Ashton - Actress and playwright
- William Howard Ashton - Pop singer
- Dean Ashton - Football player
- Catherine Ashton - Politician
- Chris Ashton - Rugby league and rugby union football player
- Mark Ashton - Gay rights activist (1960 to 1987)
- Martyn Ashton - Welsh racing cyclist and team manager
- Brian Ashton - Rugby union football player and coach
- Tony Ashton - Musician (1946 to 2001)
- Frederick Ashton - Dancer and choreographer (1904 to 1988)
- David Ashton - Actor and writer
- Al Hunter Ashton - Actor (1957 to 2007)
- Steve Ashton - Canadian politician
- T. S. Ashton - Economist, historian & scholar (1889 to 1968)
- Joe Ashton - Politician
- Pat Ashton - Actress (1931 to 2013)
- Neil Ashton - Football player
- Jon Ashton - Football player
- Lisa Ashton - Darts player
- Julian Ashton - Australian artist (1851 to 1942)
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.