The family is sometimes referred to as the Genji-Ashikaga clan to differentiate it from the unrelated Ashikaga branch of the Fujiwara clan, which was established by descendants of FUJIWARA no Hidesato.
藤原秀郷の子孫の足利氏(藤原氏)（藤姓足利氏）に対して源姓足利氏という場合がある。