ASHWORTH
Ashworth is an English locational surname of Old English origin. The name is formed from the elements æsc, meaning “ash tree”, and worth, meaning an enclosure or homestead. Consequently the literal translation is “the farmstead or enclosure near the ash trees.”
Earliest documentary references to the place name appear in the medieval records of Lancashire. In the 1236 Pipe Rolls of the county the settlement is recorded as Assewrthe, and by 1347 the Fine Court Rolls show the form Asheworth. These spellings confirm the continued use of the Old English word for ash throughout the early Middle Ages. The name was associated with the parish of Middleton in Lancashire, where the local geography was dominated by ash trees surrounding a small settlement.
The surname itself first appears towards the end of the sixteenth century. The first recorded spelling is that of Abell Asshworthe, the son of Robert Asshworthe, christened on 12 December 1596 in Rochdale, Lancashire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Over the next century the name is noted in a variety of documents, including the will records of John Ashworth of Wolfenden, Lancashire (1611) and a marriage record for Abel Ashworth and Grace Lees in Middleton by Oldham, Lancashire (7 September 1624).
In the early nineteenth century a prominent bearer of the surname was Sir Charles Ashworth, a Major-General who served in the Peninsula Wars and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1831. The honour reflects the distinguished military career of the Ashworth line during the tumultuous period of the Napoleonic Wars.
As an English surname it has been borne by many individuals who lived and worked in the British Isles, particularly in the North West of England. Its meaning reflects the close relationship between early settlers and the natural environment, and its endurance through the centuries attests to the stability of local family names within British society.
Typical given names associated with the Ashworth surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- 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 Ashworth in...
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There are approximately 13,564 people named Ashworth in the UK. That makes it the 660th most common surname in Britain. Around 208 in a million people in Britain are named Ashworth.
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 Ashworth
- Katy Ashworth - Actress
- James Ashworth - Soldier and Victoria Cross recipient (1989 to 2012)
- Richard Ashworth - Politician
- Dan Ashworth - Football player
- Dicken Ashworth - Actor
- Andrew Ashworth -
- Barry Ashworth - Football player
- Luke Ashworth - Football player
- Alan Ashworth - Biochemist
- Paul Ashworth - Football player and manager
- John Ashworth - Judge (1906 to 1975)
- Joseph Ashworth - Football player
- Philip Ashworth - Football player
- Jonathan Ashworth - Politician
- David Ashworth - Cricketer
- David Ashworth - Irish football player and manager (1868 to 1947)
- Jack Ashworth -
- John Ashworth - Cricketer (1850 to 1901)
- Samuel Ashworth - Football player (1877 to 1925)
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.