Fun Facts About the Name Ashlan
- More than 1 thousand babies named Ashlan: U.S. records list 1,098 babies given the name Ashlan from 1880 through 2025. Even 80 boys received the name Ashlan - about 1 boy for every 13 girls.
What Does the Name Ashlan Mean?
Ashlan is a rare given name, used mainly in the United States, and it is generally treated as one of the spellings of the Ashlyn group, alongside Ashlyn, Ashlynn, Ashlin, and Ashlen. Its meaning depends on which source is accepted for that group, so the meaning of Ashlan itself is not settled.
Two explanations are commonly given. One traces the Ashlyn group to Irish aisling, "dream" or "vision" - also the name of a poetic form in Irish literature. The other treats it as an English name built on Ashley, whose Old English elements are æsc, "ash tree," and lēah, "wood," "clearing," or "meadow." A third, less common suggestion points to the English place name and surname Ashland, "land of ash trees," from æsc plus land. Nothing in the written form of Ashlan shows which of these a family intended.
The similar-looking Turkish name Aslan, meaning "lion," comes from a different language and is unrelated.
Ashlan Name History & Origins
Ashlan belongs to a set of names that English speakers use as alternate spellings of the same sound: Ashlyn, Ashlynn, Ashlin, Ashlen, and Ashlyne. The spelling with a final a is among the less common choices in that set. Behind the group stands the surname and place name Ashley, from an Old English name formed with æsc, "ash tree," and lēah, "wood" or "clearing." Ashley was long a surname before it also came into use as a given name.
If the Irish source is preferred instead, the root is aisling, "dream" or "vision." In Irish literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, an aisling was a poem in which Ireland appeared to the poet in a dream as a woman. Irish names such as Aisling, Aislinn, and Ashling come from this word. The two explanations are not mutually exclusive in practice: a family may use an Irish name and spell it in an English way, or may choose the name for its resemblance to Ashley.
The English place name and surname Ashland, from æsc plus land, "land of ash trees," gives a form that sounds the same as Ashlan when the final d is dropped, and it is sometimes mentioned as another possible background. Which of these sources lies behind any particular use of Ashlan is usually a matter of family history rather than of the name's written form.
How Popular is the Name Ashlan?
Ashlan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2009. Its best rank was #2,702 in 1997.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #11,212 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #9,903 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #16,180 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #10,982 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #11,968 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #9,607 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #7,085 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #6,141 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2011 | #3,499 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 2010 | #4,034 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2009 | #2,785 | 64 | 0.0035% |
| 2008 | #3,945 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 2007 | #4,143 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2006 | #5,404 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2005 | #4,972 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #5,080 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2003 | #3,356 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2002 | #4,079 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2001 | #3,373 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2000 | #2,947 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 1999 | #2,861 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 1998 | #3,175 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1997 | #2,702 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 1996 | #2,803 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 1995 | #3,031 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1994 | #3,105 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1993 | #3,226 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1992 | #3,273 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1991 | #3,944 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1990 | #4,012 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1989 | #3,900 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1988 | #4,183 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1987 | #4,675 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #4,742 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1985 | #7,001 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #10,558 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #10,397 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,848 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #6,476 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #12,519 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #12,312 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #12,324 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #10,784 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #12,405 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #11,181 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #7,475 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #8,202 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,526 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with A
How the Name Ashlan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Ashlan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ashlan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.