Ashford is an English habitational surname from any of several places called Ashford. Those in Essex, Devon, Derbyshire, Shropshire and Kent are named from Old English æsc ‘ash’ + ford ‘ford’.

One in Surrey is first recorded in 969 as Ecelesford, probably from a personal name Eccel, a diminutive of ecca ‘edge (of a sword)’ + ford. The one in Kent is from æscet ‘clump of ash trees’ + ford.Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press,

Notable people with the surname include:

Agnes Ashford (), Christian evangelist Alan Ashford (born 1944), English cricketer Annaleigh Ashford (born 1985), American actress Bailey Ashford (1873–1934), American tropical medicine physician Brad Ashford (1949–2022), American politician Christopher Ashford or Chris Champion (1961–2018), English professional wrestler Daisy Ashford (1881–1972), writer Daniel F. Ashford (1879–1929), American politician from Louisiana David Ashford (born 1977), Isle of Man politician Emmett Ashford (1914–1980), Major League Baseball umpire Evelyn Ashford (born 1957), American track and field athlete Frederick Ashford (1886–1965), English athlete John Ashford (1944–2023), British theatre director Lindsay Ashford (born 1959), British crime writer Mary Ashford (died 1817), English murder victim whose brother engaged in a private prosecution of her murderer in Ashford v Thornton Matthew Ashford (born 1960), American actor Michelle Ashford (born 1960), American screenwriter and film producer Nellie Ashford (born 1943), American visual artist Nickolas Ashford (1941–2011), American singer, songwriter and producer Rob Ashford (born 1959), American stage director and choreographer Robert Ashford, American law professor Rosalind Ashford (born 1943), American singer with Martha and the Vandellas Ryan Ashford (born 1981), English footballer Thomas Ashford (1859–1913), English recipient of the Victoria Cross Tucker Ashford (born 1954), American baseball player Volney Ashford (1907–1973), American football coach William Ashford (1746–1824), English painter William George Ashford (1874–1925), Australian politician

Fictional characters Alfred, Alexia and Alexander Ashford in the video game Resident Evil – Code: Veronica Angela Ashford, in the Resident Evil movie series Milly Ashford, in Sunrise's anime Code Geass Klaes Ashford, Belter pirate and captain of the OPAS Behemoth in The Expanse

See also Ayshford (name)

References

External links Ancestry.com Map of name distribution in the UK and US