Find out how popular the last name Asad is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Asad.

Asad, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Asad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asad in America

Asad is the 19105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asad surname appeared 1,424 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Asad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Asad to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Asad

The surname ASAD is derived from the Arabic word 'asad', meaning 'lion'. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Iraq, Syria, and the Arabian Peninsula. The name likely emerged in the 7th century AD during the rise of Islam and the spread of the Arabic language across the region.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name ASAD can be found in ancient Islamic texts and manuscripts, such as the Qur'an and Hadith literature. It was often used as a descriptive name for individuals who displayed courage, strength, and bravery in battle, likening them to the fierceness of a lion.

In the 9th century AD, the ASAD name gained prominence with the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over vast territories stretching from modern-day Morocco to Central Asia. One notable individual bearing this name was Al-Asad ibn al-Furat, a powerful military commander and governor who lived from 759 to 828 AD.

As the Islamic empires expanded, the ASAD surname spread to other regions, including parts of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and South Asia. In the 12th century, the ASAD name appeared in historical records from the Crusades, with references to Muslim warriors and leaders bearing this name.

During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe from the 14th to the early 20th century, the ASAD surname was carried by several influential families and individuals. One such notable figure was Asad Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and military leader who served as the Grand Vizier (prime minister) in the late 16th century.

In more recent history, the ASAD surname has been associated with prominent political figures, such as Hafez al-Assad, the former President of Syria who ruled from 1971 to 2000, and his son, Bashar al-Assad, the current President of Syria.

Other notable individuals with the surname ASAD include:

1. Waris Shah (1722-1798), a renowned Punjabi Sufi poet and scholar from the Indian subcontinent.
2. Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869), a prominent Urdu and Persian poet from the Mughal Empire.
3. Asad al-Din Shirkuh (1118-1169), a prominent Kurdish military commander and uncle of Saladin, the famous Sultan of Egypt and Syria.
4. Asad Zaman (born 1951), a Pakistani-American economist and scholar known for his contributions to Islamic economics.
5. Asad Rauf (born 1956), a former Pakistani cricket umpire who officiated in international matches.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asad

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Asad.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Asad was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Asad has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Asad was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Asad, please contact us.

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