Fun Facts About the Name Ashok
- 263 babies named Ashok: U.S. records list 263 babies given the name Ashok from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ashok Mean?
Ashok is a Sanskrit name meaning "without sorrow" or "sorrowless." It comes from the Sanskrit word aśoka, made of the negative prefix a- ("not," "without") and śoka ("sorrow," "grief"). The same word is used in Sanskrit for a flowering tree, Saraca asoca, so the name and the tree name are the same term rather than one being derived from the other. Ashok is the form used in modern Hindi and several other North Indian languages, where the final -a of the Sanskrit spelling is dropped; Ashoka is a fuller transliteration closer to the original.
Ashok Name History & Origins
Aśoka is an old Sanskrit word, and it appears in early Indian literature both as an adjective, "free of grief," and as a noun for the ashoka tree, which is planted at temples and is mentioned in the Ramayana in connection with the grove where Sita was kept. Whether the tree or the personal name came first is not settled; both uses of the word are old and were long current side by side.
The most famous bearer is Ashoka the Great, the Mauryan emperor who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent in the 3rd century BCE. His edicts, cut into rock faces and pillars, are usually issued in the name of Devanampiya Piyadasi, but a few, including those at Maski and Gujarra, identify him as Ashoka. Those inscriptions are among the earliest direct records of the name used by a historical person.
Through the spread of Buddhism, the story of Ashoka became known well beyond India, and forms of the name are used in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia as well as in South Asia. In modern India and Nepal, Ashok is a common given name among Hindus, and the Sanskrit form Ashoka is also used. The name has no separate non-Indian origin; its various spellings reflect how different languages render the same Sanskrit word.
How Popular is the Name Ashok?
Ashok 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 1975. Its best rank was #2,877 in 1969.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,200 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #12,325 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #9,776 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #12,242 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #9,694 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #12,523 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #7,151 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #10,059 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,821 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #8,406 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #9,177 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,874 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #6,717 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #4,429 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #5,501 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #5,186 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,011 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #4,957 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #3,981 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #4,177 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #5,574 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #3,828 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #4,621 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,084 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #3,865 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #3,242 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,991 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #3,684 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #3,084 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #2,877 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #4,173 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #4,005 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #3,262 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #3,336 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,020 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1950 | #3,717 | 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.
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How the Name Ashok 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 desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ashok's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ashok's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.