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Ashton Family History

Ashton Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of numerous places so called especially Ashton-under-Lyne near Manchester. Most are named from Old English æsc ‘ash tree’ + tūn ‘settlement’; the one in Northamptonshire is (æt thǣm) æscum ‘(at the) ash trees’. Others have been assimilated to this from different sources. The one in Devon is ‘the settlement (tūn) of Æschere’ while the one in Hertfordshire is ‘the settlement of Ælli’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Aston, Easton, Alton, Aiton, Ashdown, Alston, Hinton, Abston, Acton

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Where is the Ashton family from?

You can see how Ashton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ashton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ashton families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 381 Ashton families living in Ontario. This was about 54% of all the recorded Ashton's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Ashton families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ashton surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Ashton ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Ashton. 43% of Ashton men worked as a Farmer and 17% of Ashton women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ashton were Laborer and Income. .

View Census Data for Ashton | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    43%
  • Labourer
    12%
  • Farmers Son
    6%
  • Laborer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    17%
  • Housekeeper
    17%
  • Servant
    12%
  • Income
    12%
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What Ashton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 297,000 census records available for the last name Ashton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ashton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Ashton

Passenger Lists

There are 32,000 immigration records available for the last name Ashton. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Ashton immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 28,000 military records available for the last name Ashton. For the veterans among your Ashton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Ashton lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Ashton life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Ashton in 1948 was 57, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ashton

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