Fun Facts About the Name Aspen
- More than 27 thousand babies named Aspen: U.S. records list 27,724 babies given the name Aspen from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 3,009 boys received the name Aspen - about 1 boy for every 8 girls.
What Does the Name Aspen Mean?
Aspen is an English name taken from the aspen tree, a kind of poplar whose leaves flutter in even a light breeze. The tree word goes back to Old English æspe, which has related forms in other Germanic languages, including Old Norse ösp, Old High German aspa, and modern German Espe. The Latin botanical name of the European aspen, Populus tremula, means "trembling poplar," and the North American quaking aspen is Populus tremuloides; both names describe the same quivering-leaf trait that the English tree name also points to.
Aspen Name History & Origins
Old English æspe named the tree itself, and the word passed into modern English as aspen. The final -n is not part of the oldest form; it appears to come from an Old English adjectival or weak form meaning "of the aspen," as in "aspen leaf."
As a first name, Aspen is recent and belongs to the modern use of word and nature names in English-speaking countries. It shares its source with the surname Aspen and with place names such as Aspen, Colorado, which was named for the groves of aspen growing there.
The tree's trembling habit has attracted symbolic explanations separate from the word's literal meaning. In European folklore, one tradition said the aspen shook because its wood was used for the cross, and another said it was the tree on which Judas hanged himself. These are later stories told about the tree, not part of the name's etymology.
How Popular is the Name Aspen?
Aspen recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #195 in 2022.
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 | #266 | 1,179 | 0.0734% |
| 2024 | #265 | 1,198 | 0.0743% |
| 2023 | #215 | 1,393 | 0.0869% |
| 2022 | #195 | 1,518 | 0.0926% |
| 2021 | #199 | 1,502 | 0.0916% |
| 2020 | #224 | 1,310 | 0.0811% |
| 2019 | #252 | 1,285 | 0.0766% |
| 2018 | #269 | 1,228 | 0.0722% |
| 2017 | #329 | 999 | 0.0579% |
| 2016 | #361 | 905 | 0.0511% |
| 2015 | #372 | 879 | 0.0493% |
| 2014 | #395 | 825 | 0.0462% |
| 2013 | #488 | 617 | 0.0352% |
| 2012 | #507 | 603 | 0.0342% |
| 2011 | #520 | 561 | 0.0319% |
| 2010 | #600 | 488 | 0.0275% |
| 2009 | #589 | 511 | 0.0278% |
| 2008 | #701 | 430 | 0.0227% |
| 2007 | #608 | 494 | 0.0257% |
| 2006 | #574 | 511 | 0.0269% |
| 2005 | #547 | 525 | 0.0284% |
| 2004 | #550 | 517 | 0.0282% |
| 2003 | #562 | 494 | 0.0270% |
| 2002 | #557 | 483 | 0.0269% |
| 2001 | #557 | 468 | 0.0260% |
| 2000 | #570 | 455 | 0.0251% |
| 1999 | #535 | 473 | 0.0267% |
| 1998 | #591 | 409 | 0.0231% |
| 1997 | #587 | 396 | 0.0228% |
| 1996 | #629 | 357 | 0.0204% |
| 1995 | #662 | 322 | 0.0183% |
| 1994 | #708 | 294 | 0.0165% |
| 1993 | #989 | 187 | 0.0103% |
| 1992 | #1,313 | 128 | 0.0069% |
| 1991 | #1,521 | 102 | 0.0054% |
| 1990 | #2,012 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 1989 | #2,074 | 60 | 0.0033% |
| 1988 | #2,494 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1987 | #2,278 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 1986 | #2,345 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 1985 | #2,319 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 1984 | #2,115 | 47 | 0.0028% |
| 1983 | #1,859 | 56 | 0.0034% |
| 1982 | #1,755 | 63 | 0.0037% |
| 1981 | #2,411 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 1980 | #3,327 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1979 | #2,585 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 1978 | #3,646 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1977 | #3,182 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1976 | #3,009 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1975 | #3,643 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1974 | #7,759 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #6,130 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #920 | 256 | 0.0150% |
| 2024 | #962 | 233 | 0.0136% |
| 2023 | #1,034 | 211 | 0.0123% |
| 2022 | #1,022 | 216 | 0.0124% |
| 2021 | #1,059 | 202 | 0.0116% |
| 2020 | #1,148 | 169 | 0.0098% |
| 2019 | #1,193 | 160 | 0.0089% |
| 2018 | #1,160 | 165 | 0.0091% |
| 2017 | #1,401 | 125 | 0.0068% |
| 2016 | #1,654 | 96 | 0.0051% |
| 2015 | #1,741 | 88 | 0.0046% |
| 2014 | #1,627 | 95 | 0.0049% |
| 2013 | #2,090 | 64 | 0.0034% |
| 2012 | #2,211 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2011 | #2,263 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2010 | #2,287 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 2009 | #2,349 | 55 | 0.0028% |
| 2008 | #2,519 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 2007 | #2,507 | 50 | 0.0024% |
| 2006 | #2,376 | 52 | 0.0025% |
| 2005 | #2,470 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 2004 | #2,378 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 2003 | #2,787 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #2,605 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2001 | #2,684 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2000 | #2,199 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 1999 | #2,304 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 1998 | #2,397 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 1997 | #2,027 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 1996 | #2,187 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 1995 | #1,759 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1994 | #2,351 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 1993 | #2,165 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 1992 | #5,683 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #4,503 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #5,873 | 8 | 0.0004% |
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 Aspen 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.
✦ Aspen's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aspen's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.