Where did the name Ashton originate? Who was the first great man in history named Ashton??

Question

I have a bar customer whos name is Ashton, we call him Ash. I want to find out as much info about this name and it's origins as possible. Are there any Ashtons in history who I can tell him about?

Answer 1

The first name "Ashton" comes from the surname, which itself comes from a place name -- the "ton" is for "town" (compare "Washington" and many other place names that became surnames). The are several variation of the surname, including "Assheton" and "Ashtown"

The surname "Ashton" means "Ash town".("ash" hear meaning "ash tree"), so a family FROM this place might bear the name.
http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?nmd=n&terms=ashton

Ashton (the place!) is located in Lancashire England. See:
http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/
http://users.multipro.com/lawrpaul/Ashton.htm

The family name was associated with this place. Here's some info on the family, the crest, etc.:
http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/ashton-family-crest.htm

(The name goes way back, but the earliest references I find to specific people with this surname are from the 16th and 17yh centuries:
http://users.bigpond.net.au/retz/family/_assheto.htm
http://www.thepeerage.com/p12651.htm#i126506


Since it only recently started to be used as a first name (probably fia the use of the family name as a middle name), you won't be able to find much in anything on famous people of former eras with this FIRST name (most web searches turn up many links to actor "Ashtong Kutscher"). I am not certain, but I believe this recent use may have been based on or popularized by the name of an early 20th century choreographer, Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (1904 - 1988).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Ashton