Total births
12,576
Unisex name · since 1970
Ashanti
Ashanti has 12,576 recorded births since 1970 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2002 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1990
- among girls today
- 12,576
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Ashanti is the #1990 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 12,576 recorded since 1970.
Ashanti has 12,576 recorded births among girls since 1970, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1990 as of the latest data, more common than 89% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #1990 among girls today
- 12,576 born since 1970
- 2000s peak decade
- 89% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ashanti is currently the #1990 unisex name in America, more common than 89% of girls - 12,576 born since 1970, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1990
- among girls today
- 12,576
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other girls
Ashanti vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1990
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 89% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
52% of everyone ever named Ashanti was born in this single decade.
2002
Single peak year
2,946 babies were named Ashanti in 2002 - its busiest year on record.
How Ashanti compares
12,576 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ashanti's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ashanti | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,576 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,946 | 48 | 19,840 |
Ashanti's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ashanti's full recorded timeline at 1998, 75% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 25% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1970, with just 14 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2002 peak of 2,946 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ashanti at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2002
Current rank
#1,990
Active since
1970
Ashanti popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (2002)
- 2,946
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Ashanti popularity over time - boys
767 total births recorded since 1970 (Ashanti as boys' name)
Ashanti by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Ashanti's strongest decade.
6,483 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Ashanti births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 448
1970s
448 births
- 1980s 984
1980s
984 births
- 1990s 2,173
1990s
2,173 births
- 2000s
2000s
6,483 births
- 2010s 1,846
2010s
1,846 births
- 2020s 642
2020s
642 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 6,483 births (52% of all-time use).
How Ashanti compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ashanti's total volume
Ashanti vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Ashanti by state
Where Ashanti concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Florida | | 1,151 | 9.2% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 942 | 7.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 937 | 7.5% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 883 | 7.0% |
| #5 | Texas | | 780 | 6.2% |
| #6 | California | | 724 | 5.8% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 603 | 4.8% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 469 | 3.7% |
Florida share of Ashanti's total US births 9.2%
Even split
1,151 of 12,576 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Ashanti appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ashanti? ▼
Since 1970, Social Security records show 12,576 babies named Ashanti. Today it holds rank #1990 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2002, with 2,946 births.
When was Ashanti most popular? ▼
Ashanti was most popular in the 2000s decade with 6,483 total births. The single peak year was 2002.
Where is Ashanti most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ashanti are Florida (1,151 births), Illinois (942 births), New York (937 births).
Is Ashanti a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Ashanti is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 12,576 births, and as a boy's name it has 767 births.
How long has the name Ashanti been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Ashanti since 1970 -- 56 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Ashanti? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ashley, Ashlyn, Ashlee, Ashleigh, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Ashanti's data
- Ashanti's decade-level peak was the 2000s (6,483 total births); usage has since declined to 642 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Florida records the most Ashantis (1,151 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Florida names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ashanti
Nearby Names Like Ashanti
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ashanti
Ashley Girl
#124 859,857 births
Ashlyn Girl
#902 48,039 births
Ashlee Girl
#4136 43,533 births
Ashleigh Girl
#4807 31,861 births
Ashlynn Girl
#1024 25,834 births
Compare Ashanti side by side: Ashanti vs Ashley Ashanti vs Ashlyn Ashanti vs Ashlee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ashanti
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1970–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Ashanti: #1990 Unisex Name - 12,576 Births, Peak 2002." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ashanti. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ashanti draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.