Thirty years of Asher
Asher in numbers
Asher is still climbing: from 37 boys in 1996 to 360 in 2025, its highest count so far. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2019 and 2022, from 218 to 330. On average it was given to 50 boys a year in the late 1990s, 63 in the 2000s, 160 in the 2010s and 325 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Ashar (13). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Asher.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+6%341 to 360
- 5 years+32%273 to 360
- 10 years+112%170 to 360
- 20 years+471%63 to 360
- Since 1996×1037 to 360
- Total, 1996 to 20254,381boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 150 · ONS · 341 in 2024
Rank 132 · NRS · 29 in 2024
Rank 149 · NISRA · 17 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 150 | 360 | +6% | 1 in 835 |
| 2024 | 150 | 341 | -1% | 1 in 894 |
| 2023 | =154 | 343 | +4% | 1 in 884 |
| 2022 | 159 | 330 | +8% | 1 in 941 |
| 2021 | 176 | 305 | +12% | 1 in 1,050 |
| 2020 | =189 | 273 | +25% | 1 in 1,152 |
| 2019 | =231 | 218 | -9% | 1 in 1,510 |
| 2018 | =217 | 240 | +22% | 1 in 1,407 |
| 2017 | 269 | 196 | +11% | 1 in 1,776 |
| 2016 * | 288 | 176 | +4% | 1 in 2,023 |
| 2015 | =284 | 170 | +16% | 1 in 2,107 |
| 2014 | =314 | 146 | +40% | 1 in 2,444 |
| 2013 | =394 | 104 | -29% | 1 in 3,446 |
| 2012 | =311 | 146 | +64% | 1 in 2,564 |
| 2011 | =436 | 89 | -21% | 1 in 4,168 |
| 2010 | =364 | 112 | +26% | 1 in 3,312 |
| 2009 | =427 | 89 | +14% | 1 in 4,069 |
| 2008 | =458 | 78 | +18% | 1 in 4,653 |
| 2007 | =492 | 66 | -20% | 1 in 5,371 |
| 2006 | =407 | 82 | +30% | 1 in 4,176 |
| 2005 | =445 | 63 | -15% | 1 in 5,247 |
| 2004 | =384 | 74 | +45% | 1 in 4,437 |
| 2003 | =473 | 51 | +4% | 1 in 6,243 |
| 2002 | =449 | 49 | +26% | 1 in 6,246 |
| 2001 | =510 | 39 | -7% | 1 in 7,811 |
| 2000 | =472 | 42 | -24% | 1 in 7,372 |
| 1999 | =406 | 55 | -8% | 1 in 5,804 |
| 1998 | =376 | 60 | +28% | 1 in 5,432 |
| 1997 | =427 | 47 | +27% | 1 in 7,012 |
| 1996 | =489 | 37 | 1 in 9,013 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Asher
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Asher is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate