Ashton is an English surname and place name that means "ash tree town" or "ash tree settlement", from the Old English æsc and tun. Actor Ashton Kutcher brought it to the attention of American parents in the early 2000s, exactly when the name made its biggest leap. Ashton rose from number 254 in 2000 to a peak of number 76 in 2004, lingered in the top 150 through the 2010s and ranks number 197 in 2025.