Asher
Asher was the 28th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 7,456 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 20th with 8,418 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 54 places. More babies were named Asher in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning happy, fortunate · Hebrew
Say it ASH-er /ˈæʃər/
- Rank in 2025
- #28 boys, up 4 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 7,456boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20228,418 babies
- Total since 1880
- 112,690babies recorded
What does the name Asher mean?
Asher is the Hebrew name of Jacob's eighth son, born to Leah's servant Zilpah, and of one of the tribes of Israel. In Genesis 30:13 Leah gives the name with an exclamation about her good fortune. The JPS note connects the name with the Hebrew be-ʼoshri, which the verse explains as 'women will deem me fortunate'.
אָשֵׁר (Biblical Hebrew, “Asher”)
How sure is this? Probable.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean joy.
Nicknames for Asher
The usual nicknames for Asher are Ash. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Asher in the last five years, 2 were named Ash, against 5 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ash · also for Ashton, Ashley, Ashlyn | Modern | #1,177 | 960 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Ashers go by each one.
Asher popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,463 since 1975, 63 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #28 | 7,456 |
| 2020 | #32 | 7,698 |
| 2010 | #138 | 2,863 |
| 2000 | #578 | 346 |
| 1990 | #1,096 | 95 |
| 1980 | #1,111 | 66 |
| 1970 | #2,304 | 16 |
| 1960 | #2,429 | 12 |
| 1950 | #3,047 | 7 |
| 1940 | #1,987 | 13 |
| 1930 | #3,618 | 6 |
| 1920 | #2,055 | 16 |
| 1910 | #1,606 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #1,013 | 5 |
| 1880 | #822 | 6 |
How popular is Asher, counting every spelling?
Asher is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #32 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #28 for Asher on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,512 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asher | 7,456 | #28 | 40,300 |
| Ashur | 32 | #3,519 | 195 |
| Ascher | 24 | #4,261 | 123 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Asher?
7,456 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Asher (2.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Asher born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 26. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Asher.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Asher?
About 109,700 people born in the US named Asher are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 12. That makes Asher a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Asher by state
How common Asher was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (2.7×), West Virginia (2.5×), Vermont (2.5×), North Dakota (2.5×), Montana (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Massachusetts, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Asher: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Asher, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Asher · Sibling names for Asher
Questions about the name Asher
What does Asher mean?
Asher means “happy, fortunate” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Asher?
Asher was the 28th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 7,456 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 20th with 8,418 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 54 places. More babies were named Asher in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Asher a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Asher in the US.
Where is Asher most popular?
In 2021–2025, Asher was most common in Wyoming (12.45 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Vermont.