2000
#34,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Rare Last name
Asare
A Ghanaian surname meaning "to stay alive" or "to survive".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,726 Americans carry the last name Asare. That puts it at #12,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,735 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asare 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 Asare with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,735
Census rank
#12,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,377 bearers of the surname Asare in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asare, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Asare
The surname Asare originated in Ghana, West Africa. It is a popular Akan name that has been traced back to the late 16th century. The name is derived from the Akan word "asare," which means "born on Thursday."
Historically, the Asare surname was prominent among the Akan people, particularly the Ashanti and Fante ethnic groups. It was a common practice in Akan culture to name children based on the day of the week they were born, with "Asare" being assigned to those born on Thursdays.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Asare surname can be found in the writings of European travelers and missionaries who visited the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in the 17th and 18th centuries. These accounts often mentioned Akan chiefs and leaders with the surname Asare.
Notable historical figures with the Asare surname include Nana Asare Kotoku, a prominent Fante chief who ruled in the late 18th century and played a significant role in the Fante Confederation's resistance against British colonialism. Another notable individual was Kofi Asare, a respected Ashanti linguist and scholar who lived in the early 19th century and contributed to the documentation of the Twi language.
In the 20th century, the Asare surname gained wider recognition with individuals like Tawiah Asare, a Ghanaian playwright and novelist born in 1919, who helped promote Akan literature and culture. Kwaku Asare, born in 1933, was a renowned Ghanaian musician and composer who popularized traditional Akan music styles.
Additionally, the Asare surname has been linked to certain place names in Ghana, such as Asare-Akoko, a town in the Eastern Region, and Asare-Nkwanta, a village in the Volta Region. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Asare surname who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asare
Among Census respondents with the surname Asare, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Asare 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 Asare surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.2% · 2,239
- White2.4% · 56
- Two or more races2.2% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asare
Asare 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
#18,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,443
+822 bearers (+132.4%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 15,585 places
2020
#12,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,377
+934 bearers (+64.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 6,455 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,503 | 621 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,918 | 1,443 | 0.49 | +822 bearers (+132.4%) | Up 15,585 places |
| 2020 | #12,463 | 2,377 | 0.80 | +934 bearers (+64.7%) | Up 6,455 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 Asare 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 | #18,918 | #12,463 | 34.1% |
| Count | 1,443 | 2,377 | 64.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.80 | 62.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asare bearers went from 1,443 to 2,377 (+64.7% change). The surname moved up 6,455 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,918 to #12,463.
FAQ
Asare surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asare?
Name Census estimates that about 2,726 living Americans carry the surname Asare. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,735 residents.
How common is Asare?
Asare ranks #12,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,377 people with the surname Asare. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,726), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Asare.
Has Asare become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asare went from 1,443 recorded bearers to 2,377. That is an increase of 934 (+64.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,918 to #12,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Asare?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asare, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Asare in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (2,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asare appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.2%), White (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Asare (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 Asare mean?
A Ghanaian surname meaning "to stay alive" or "to survive". 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 Asare (0.80 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 Asare?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.