Asha comes from the Sanskrit asha and means "hope" or "wish"; in Swahili the same name is a form of Aisha and means "life". The legendary Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle is its best-known bearer. In the United States Asha ranked number 882 in 2000, its best year, and has stayed between number 1170 and number 1580 over the past decade, standing at number 1373 in 2025.