Asha
About Asha
Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s, all baby names Ash-related have been used in the U.S. for both girls and boys, from Ashlyn to Ashby, Ashton to Asher. Despite its separate roots, Asha is part of this group.
Asha is finding new life through its Game of Thrones connections. Disney has announced an upcoming film titled Wish, which will feature a heroine named Asha who may likely be the next Disney Princess.
Read more about Asha and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
Pronounced AH-shah.
As of October 2026, Asha ranked #1373 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #796 in 1989, Nameberry popularity #575.
Editor's take: The name Asha is a girl's name of Swahili, Hindi, Sanskrit origin meaning "hope; life".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,206 | 202 | 113.1 |
| 2015 | #1,311 | 181 | 101.4 |
| 2016 | #1,287 | 187 | 105.5 |
| 2017 | #1,172 | 210 | 121.6 |
| 2018 | #1,192 | 200 | 117.6 |
| 2019 | #1,219 | 192 | 114.4 |
| 2020 | #1,461 | 147 | 90.9 |
| 2021 | #1,369 | 161 | 98.1 |
| 2022 | #1,583 | 134 | 81.7 |
| 2023 | #1,338 | 169 | 105.3 |
| 2024 | #1,196 | 197 | 121.6 |
| 2025 | #1,373 | 160 | 99.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Asha on lists
Famous Ashas
- Asha Leo
British TV presenter
- Asha Daniels
American designer & contestant on "Under the Gunn"
- Asha Bhosle
Indian singer
- Asha Parekh
Indian Bollywood actress
Asha in pop culture
- Asha Greyjoy
character in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" (renamed Yara in the Game of Thrones TV series)
- Asha
one of the characters in the story "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" within Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
- Asha Grant
one of the main characters in the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
- Asha
character in the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
- "Brimful of Asha
" song by Cornershop
- Nokia Asha
mobile phone
- Asha'bellanar
a title of the character Flemeth in the Dragon Age video game series. "Asha'bellanar" in Elvish translates to "woman of many years."
- Asha
main character from Disney's 2023 film "Wish"