unisex name
Aspen
AS-pin
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 29,515
the United States
#266
2025 births
Aspen is a unisex name of English origin taken from the tree, whose leaves tremble in the slightest wind. The word comes from the Old English aespe, and the name's modern use owes as much to the Colorado ski town as to the tree itself.
- Aspen is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 1,734 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,310 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1973.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Aspen over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 135 |
| 1980s | 467 |
| 1990s | 3,040 |
| 2000s | 5,340 |
| 2010s | 9,359 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,395 |
What Aspen means
Aspen names a tree known for leaves that shake constantly — the flattened leaf stalk lets them turn in almost no wind. Older English called the tree the quaking asp, and the trembling is the quality the name carries.
Where Aspen comes from
Aspen comes from the Old English aespe, a tree name with cognates across the Germanic and Slavic languages, pointing to a very old European root. The final N is a survival of the adjective form aespen, meaning made of aspen wood, which was reanalyzed as the tree's own name. Aspens spread by root rather than seed, so a stand is often a single organism — the Utah colony known as Pando is among the largest living things on Earth. As a given name it is entirely modern, appearing in our records from 1973 and following the Colorado resort into fashion.
Aspen in use
Aspen first appears in our records in 1973, one of the most recent first appearances of any name in the English-speaking top 1,000.
How popular is Aspen?
In 2025, Aspen was given to 1,435 babies in the United States, ranking #266 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Aspen is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Aspen
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aspen also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aspen over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Aspen
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Aspen in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Aspen
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Aspen — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Aspen
What does the name Aspen mean?
It names the aspen tree, whose leaves tremble in the lightest wind. The word comes from the Old English aespe.
Is Aspen a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, though it is given more often to girls.
Is Aspen named after the town in Colorado?
Largely. The tree name is ancient, but the given name only appears in the records from the 1970s and follows the resort's fame.
How popular is the name Aspen?
In 2025, Aspen was given to 1,435 babies in the United States, ranking #266 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Aspen?
Aspen has 2 syllables.
When was Aspen most popular?
Aspen peaked in 2022, when 1,734 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Aspen?
Aspen is usually shortened to Ash.
Is Aspen a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aspen currently ranks #266 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.