Ash

Ash is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old English origin, from the ash tree (æsc), a sacred tree in Norse and Anglo-Saxon tradition associated with Yggdrasil — the World Tree — meaning 'ash tree' or 'spear tree,' as ash wood was prized for making spears.

Short and elemental, Ash has grown from a nickname for Ashley or Ashton into a confident standalone name. It's been embraced by the gender-nonconforming naming community and carries a cool, nature-grounded minimalism. The Pokémon protagonist Ash Ketchum kept it alive in pop culture for an entire generation.