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

Asbell, 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 Asbell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asbell in America

Asbell is the 15854th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asbell surname appeared 1,836 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Asbell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Asbell 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 Asbell

The surname Asbell is thought to have originated in England, likely deriving from the Old English words "aesc" meaning ash tree and "bell" meaning hill or elevated land. This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived near an ash-covered hill or prominent ash tree.

One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Aschebelle". This entry documents a landowner by that name in the county of Berkshire.

By the 13th century, variations like "Ashbell" and "Ashebell" begin appearing in tax rolls and parish records across southern England, especially in areas like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

In 1327, a Walter Asbell is listed as a freeman in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset. Around 1450, a John Aschbell served as a church warden in the village of East Hendred, Berkshire.

During the 16th century, the spelling seems to have settled more into the modern "Asbell" form. Notable individuals from this era include Thomas Asbell (c.1515-1585), a wealthy merchant from Bristol, and Richard Asbell (1570-1640), a Protestant minister in Gloucestershire.

The 17th century saw several Asbells emigrate to the American colonies. One of the earliest was Augustine Asbell, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 from Gloucestershire. His descendant, Nathaniel Asbell (1765-1847), later fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Other famous bearers of the Asbell name include the English architect Robert Asbell (1834-1902), designer of several churches and public buildings, and American Civil War soldier Jonathan Asbell (1842-1927), who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asbell

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

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 Asbell 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 Asbell 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 Asbell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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