2000
#36,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 572
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Asquith
A surname derived from a place name referring to ash trees near a stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 687 Americans carry the last name Asquith. That puts it at #39,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 498,915 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asquith 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 Asquith with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
687
1 in 498,915
Census rank
#39,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
599
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 599 bearers of the surname Asquith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asquith, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Asquith
The surname Asquith is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from a place name, most likely a village or hamlet in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire or Lancashire. The name Asquith is thought to derive from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree, and "wiþig" meaning willow wood or meadow, suggesting that the original settlement was situated near an ash tree or in a willow meadow.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Asquith can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Asquitebi" or "Asquitebia." This entry indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman conquest and the subsequent compilation of the great survey.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into its more recognizable form, with variations such as "Askwith," "Asquith," and "Askwyth" appearing in various historical records and documents. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Asquith, a knight who served under King Edward I and participated in the Scottish Wars of Independence in the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Asquith family gained prominence in the Yorkshire region, with several members holding positions of local importance. One such figure was John Asquith, who served as the High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1568.
The 19th century saw the rise of one of the most famous individuals to bear the Asquith surname, Herbert Henry Asquith (1852-1928). Asquith was a prominent British statesman and Liberal politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916, leading the country through the early years of World War I.
Other notable figures with the surname Asquith include Sir Cyril Asquith (1890-1954), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Justice of Appeal, and his brother Raymond Asquith (1878-1916), a writer and soldier who was killed in action during World War I.
In addition to these historical figures, the name Asquith has also been associated with various place names, such as Askwith in West Yorkshire, which likely derives from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asquith
Among Census respondents with the surname Asquith, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Asquith 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 Asquith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 509
- Black or African American7.3% · 44
- Two or more races3.2% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asquith
Asquith 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
#38,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 568
-4 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,043 places
2020
#39,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 599
+31 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 742 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,807 | 572 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,850 | 568 | 0.19 | -4 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 2,043 places |
| 2020 | #39,592 | 599 | 0.20 | +31 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 742 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 Asquith 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 | #38,850 | #39,592 | -1.9% |
| Count | 568 | 599 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.20 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asquith bearers went from 568 to 599 (+5.5% change). The surname moved down 742 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,850 to #39,592.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Asquith
FAQ
Asquith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asquith?
Name Census estimates that about 687 living Americans carry the surname Asquith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 498,915 residents.
How common is Asquith?
Asquith ranks #39,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 599 people with the surname Asquith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (687), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Asquith.
Has Asquith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asquith went from 568 recorded bearers to 599. That is an increase of 31 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,850 to #39,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Asquith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asquith, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Asquith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asquith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Asquith (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 Asquith mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to ash trees near a stream. 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 Asquith (0.20 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 common is the surname Asquith?
You can see how many people are called Asquith on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.