Ashton is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Route 108 (Ashton Road) and New Hampshire Avenue (Route 650). It is not positively known how Ashton got its name. Some longtime residents claim that it comes from reference to a large Ash tree that stood at the junction of routes 108 and 650. Others say that it is the melding of the names of two Thomas Family homes, Ashland and Clifton, each located a mile from the junction.