Asher
Feminine · “happy”
Asher is given to boys far more often — 111,227 boys against 1,463 girls since 1880. See Asher as a boy name
Asher is a Hebrew word for happiness that became the name of a tribe, then a steady boys' name, and lately a girls' name too. Both children are standing on the same word — this is one name traveling two ways, not two names that met by accident at a spelling.
How old is the name Asher?
Asher first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Asher is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,500 people named Asher are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Asher most popular?
Asher peaked in 2022, reaching #1856 nationally. Today it ranks #2719, 863 places below that high. See the whole 2022 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Asher
Asher is one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the tribe descended from him, given the coastal territory in the north of Canaan — the line in the blessing of Moses about dipping his foot in oil refers to the olive country there. The name entered English use with the Reformation, when Hebrew names came into ordinary Protestant families, and it has been a boys' name in English ever since. Its use for girls is recent and American, and it follows a clear pattern: the Ash- names for girls, from Ashley to Ashlyn, made the sound familiar long before the biblical name arrived on that side.
Meaning
happy, blessed
Hebrew asher, from osher, 'happiness'. Genesis gives the naming scene itself: Leah names the child for her own gladness. The reading is undisputed and unusually cheerful for a name out of the Hebrew Bible.
Pronouncing Asher
ASH-er
Two syllables, stress on the first. Hebrew says ah-SHER, with the stress at the end; English has moved it forward, as it does with most biblical names.
Nicknames for Asher
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1975
- Most girls named
- 2022109 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1856reached in 2022
- Change vs 2024
- −12.5%63 in 2025, from 72
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Asher in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Asher in Hebrew — transliteration
- Aser in Spanish — same name
- Aser in Greek — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Georgia.
Ashers among us
people named Asher are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 25,512 born in 2025 was named Asher
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Shanti test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Asher's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Shanti climbed just as high around 1972, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Shanti's path sketches the road Asher is walking now.
Asher sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Asher is headed
Asher should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Asher beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Asher in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One of the few biblical names whose meaning is plainly happy rather than solemn.
- Ash is an established short form already used by both boys and girls.
- Spelled the way it sounds and already familiar to every English speaker.
- It goes to boys far more often than to girls in the United States, and a girl named Asher will be taken for a boy on paper.
- Ash, Ashton, Ashlyn and Ashley crowd the same opening, so the full name is often needed.
- As a tribal name it carries specific weight in Jewish families, which is worth knowing whether or not it is yours.
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What they receive
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Asher
Feminine · #2719 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ashers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,500 people named Asher are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Asher in 2025?
- Asher ranks #2719 among US girl names in 2025, with 63 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Asher?
- About 1 in every 25,512 US girls born in 2025 was named Asher — 63 in all.
- Will my child share the name Asher with classmates?
- Asher will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Asher
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kaliana#2719 · Emy#2719 · Betsy#2719 · Aditi#2719 · Carley#2719 · Ryver#2719 · Morrigan#2719 · Wynonna#2719
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Asher? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Asher and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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