2000
#3,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.07
Rare Last name
Asbury
From the English place name, derived from the Old English words "æsc" (ash tree) and "burh" (fortified place).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,037 Americans carry the last name Asbury. That puts it at #4,352 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asbury surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Asbury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 37,928
Census rank
#4,352
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,881 bearers of the surname Asbury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4352nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Asbury
The surname Asbury has its origins in England, with records indicating its presence as early as the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "æsc" (ash) and "burh" (fortified place), suggesting a connection to a place surrounded by ash trees.
During the medieval period, the name Asbury was prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Warwickshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Ashebury, Ashbury, and Asshbury, reflecting the fluid nature of naming conventions at the time.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Asbury can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed landowners and tenants in England. This record mentions a Robert de Assebury, indicating the presence of the name in the 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Asbury surname gained prominence through John Asbury, a prominent English merchant and alderman of London. Born in 1522, John Asbury played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure bearing the Asbury name was Francis Asbury, a renowned Methodist preacher and bishop. Born in 1745 in Handsworth, Staffordshire, Asbury is regarded as one of the founding figures of Methodism in America, traveling extensively and establishing numerous churches throughout the colonies.
Moving into the 19th century, the Asbury surname continued to be associated with notable individuals. One such example is Walter Asbury, born in 1833, a prominent English industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Birmingham and the surrounding areas.
In the realm of literature, the name Asbury is tied to Herbert Asbury, an American author and journalist born in 1889. He is best known for his works on urban folklore and crime, including the influential book "The Gangs of New York," which inspired the critically acclaimed film of the same name.
While the surname Asbury may have originated from a specific geographic location in England, it has since spread across the globe, with descendants bearing the name contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asbury
Among Census respondents with the surname Asbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Asbury bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Asbury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 6,518
- Black or African American8.5% · 672
- Two or more races4.7% · 370
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asbury
Asbury appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,522
+252 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 212 places
2020
#4,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,881
-641 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,945 | 8,270 | 3.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,157 | 8,522 | 2.89 | +252 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 212 places |
| 2020 | #4,352 | 7,881 | 2.64 | -641 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 195 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Asbury surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,157 | #4,352 | -4.7% |
| Count | 8,522 | 7,881 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.89 | 2.64 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asbury bearers went from 8,522 to 7,881 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 195 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,157 to #4,352.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Asbury
FAQ
Asbury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asbury?
Name Census estimates that about 9,037 living Americans carry the surname Asbury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,928 residents.
How common is Asbury?
Asbury ranks #4,352 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,881 people with the surname Asbury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Asbury.
Has Asbury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asbury went from 8,522 recorded bearers to 7,881. That is a decrease of 641 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,157 to #4,352.
What does the Census say about the background of Asbury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Asbury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (6,518 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asbury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (8.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Asbury (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Asbury mean?
From the English place name, derived from the Old English words "æsc" (ash tree) and "burh" (fortified place). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Asbury (2.64 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Asbury?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.