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Ashcroft History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Ashcroft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ashcroft is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in Norfolk. Ashcroft means the dweller in the croft where the ash trees grow. 1

Early Origins of the Ashcroft family

The surname Ashcroft was first found in Norfolk where one of the first records of the name was Margaret de Asecroft who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in this county. 1 Richard Ashcroft was also listed in Norfolk in the Feet of Fines. 2

Early History of the Ashcroft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ashcroft research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1592 and 1602 are included under the topic Early Ashcroft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashcroft Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Ashcroft has been spelled many different ways, including Ashecroft, Ashecroft, Ashcroft, Ashcrofte, Ascroft, Ascrofte, Ashcraft and many more.

Early Notables of the Ashcroft family

Distinguished members of the family include

Ashcroft of Norfolk

Ashcroft Ranking

In the United States, the name Ashcroft is the 13,593^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Ashcroft migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Ashcrofts to arrive in North America:

Ashcroft Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Ashcroft, (b. 1602), aged 33, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Constance" arriving in Virginia in 1635 4

Ashcroft Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Ashcroft, who landed in Virginia in 1714 5

Ashcroft Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Adam Ashcroft, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 5
Hugh Ashcroft, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1832
S Ashcroft, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Thomas Ashcroft, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 5
James Ashcroft, who arrived in New York in 1873 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ashcroft Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edgar A. Ashcroft, aged 39, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1903
Edgar Arthur Ashcroft, aged 40, who settled in America from London, in 1905
Aggie Ashcroft, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Derry, in 1905
Leon T Ashcroft, aged 38, who settled in America, in 1905
Elizabeth G. Ashcroft, aged 34, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1906
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ashcroft migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ashcroft Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Jack Ashcroft, aged 42, who settled in Bakersville B.C., Canada, in 1913
Clara Ashcroft, aged 36, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1920

Ashcroft migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ashcroft Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Ashcroft, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Daniel Ashcroft, British Convict who was convicted in Worcester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 7
Mr. James Ashcroft, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Edward Ashcroft, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
John Ashcroft, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stratheden" in 1850 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Ashcroft (post 1700) +

John David Ashcroft (b. 1942), American politician, the 79th United States Attorney General (2001 to 2005), the 50th Governor of Missouri (1985 to 1993)
Thomas C. Ashcroft, American politician, Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, 1916-17 11
Paris I. Ashcroft, American Republican politician, Member of Arizona State House of Representatives, 1931-32 11
Henry E. Ashcroft, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly 22nd District, 1965 11
E. M. Ashcroft, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1880 11
E. L. Ashcroft, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1940 11
Alan Ashcroft (1930-2021), English international rugby union player who played in the Number 8 position
Kane John Ashcroft (1986-2015), English footballer who played for York City (2004-2006)
Richard Paul Steven Ashcroft (b. 1971), English singer-songwriter
Ray Ashcroft (1952-1979), English actor, best known for his role as Ringo Starr in the TV movie "Birth of the Beatles" (1979)
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ashcroft family +

Hillsborough disaster

Colin Mark Ashcroft (1969-1989), English gardener who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 12

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Alan Ashcroft, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 13

HMS Repulse

Mr. Walter T Ashcroft, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 14

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Gordon Ernest Ashcroft, English First Waiter from Gt. Crosby, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 15

RMS Titanic

Mr. Austin Aloysius Ashcroft (d. 1912), aged 26, English Clerk from Seacombe, Cheshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16

The Ashcroft Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Floruit fraxinus
Motto Translation: Flowering ash

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The STRATHEDEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stratheden.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html