The baby name Asoka is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced uh-SOH-kə (common English), IPA: /əˈʃoːkə/; Sanskrit Aśoka: /aːˈɕoːkə/.
Asoka is Sanskrit in Origin.
The baby name Asoka is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced uh-SOH-kə (common English), IPA: /əˈʃoːkə/; Sanskrit Aśoka: /aːˈɕoːkə/.
Asoka is Sanskrit in Origin.
Asoka is a South Asian given name from Sanskrit Aśoka (अशोक), built from the privative prefix a- “not” + śoka “sorrow,” yielding the sense “without grief” or “one who brings comfort.” The word also names the sacred aśoka tree (Saraca asoca), poetically linked to the banishment of sorrow in classical literature.
The name gained enduring renown through Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE), the Mauryan ruler who embraced and spread Buddhism; his pillars and edicts cemented the name’s imperial and ethical aura. Forms vary by language and transliteration: Aśoka (scholarly), Ashoka (English/Sanskritized), Asoka (Sinhala/older), Ashok and Asok (Hindi/Bengali colloquial), and Ashoke (Bengali). Usage spans India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the diaspora; in Sinhala it can be unisex, though it is typically masculine elsewhere. Contemporary bearers appreciate its concise sound, pan-Indic familiarity, and aspirational meaning of freedom from sorrow.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MV | Boys | 0 | #77 | 3 | 3,375 |
| TW | 0 | #103 | 1 | 4,523 | |
| QA | 0 | #106 | 1 | 7,011 | |
| BN | Girls | 0 | #114 | 1 | 5,459 |
| KW | 0 | #120 | 2 | 5,216 | |
| CY | Girls | 0 | #124 | 2 | 3,755 |
| ID | Boys | 0 | #134 | 2 | 4,130 |
| BN | Boys | 0 | #139 | 1 | 6,332 |
| HU | Boys | 0 | #174 | 1 | 3,954 |
| AE | 0 | #187 | 1 | 10,220 | |
| SI | Boys | 0 | #211 | 1 | 3,402 |
| MO | Boys | 0 | #234 | 1 | 5,842 |
| BD | 0 | #241 | 1 | 5,992 | |
| GH | 0 | #247 | 2 | 5,396 | |
| GR | Girls | 0 | #249 | 1 | 6,293 |
| TW | Boys | 0 | #254 | 3 | 7,111 |
| NG | 0 | #272 | 1 | 5,926 | |
| TW | Girls | 0 | #289 | 1 | 8,139 |
| JP | Boys | 0 | #301 | 3 | 7,909 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #306 | 11 | 15,378 |
| SA | 0 | #312 | 1 | 10,560 | |
| JO | Girls | 0 | #333 | 7 | 7,570 |
| MY | 0 | #353 | 2 | 12,352 | |
| HK | 0 | #357 | 1 | 8,483 | |
| GH | Boys | 0 | #361 | 1 | 8,138 |
| MU | Boys | 0 | #369 | 1 | 8,477 |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #377 | 20 | 15,987 |
| JO | Boys | 0 | #388 | 2 | 7,057 |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #403 | 113 | 19,177 |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #405 | 2 | 8,413 |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #520 | 6 | 11,303 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #522 | 32 | 20,968 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #526 | 1 | 12,621 |
| BH | 0 | #541 | 13 | 17,937 | |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #542 | 6 | 10,981 |
| LY | 0 | #559 | 1 | 12,703 | |
| PS | Boys | 0 | #559 | 3 | 10,655 |
| IL | Boys | 0 | #622 | 4 | 10,983 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #627 | 6 | 18,916 |
| IL | Girls | 0 | #639 | 7 | 11,648 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #645 | 63 | 18,093 |
| LB | 0 | #648 | 11 | 13,263 | |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #649 | 2 | 16,104 |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #697 | 1 | 13,071 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #700 | 70 | 18,755 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #737 | 3 | 17,960 |
| SY | 0 | #767 | 1 | 11,684 | |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #824 | 3 | 15,093 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #846 | 36 | 17,948 |
| TN | 0 | #865 | 1 | 13,765 | |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #900 | 36 | 25,931 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #924 | 2 | 15,035 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #924 | 3 | 14,506 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #1,001 | 1 | 16,906 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #1,033 | 7 | 16,750 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,045 | 48 | 22,615 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,071 | 2 | 24,821 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,086 | 26 | 25,439 |
| MA | 0 | #1,088 | 41 | 20,986 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,230 | 5 | 20,130 | |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,421 | 26 | 9,415 |
| IT | Boys | 0 | #1,424 | 48 | 10,046 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,522 | 93 | 28,008 |
Asoka is popular in 38 countries — most recent births per country:
Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!