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

Asfour, 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 Asfour surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asfour in America

Asfour is the 40204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asfour surname appeared 545 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 Asfour.

We can also compare 2010 data for Asfour 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 Asfour

The surname "ASFOUR" originated in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Levant and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "asfur," which means "bird" or "sparrow." The name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 7th or 8th century CE, as a descriptive nickname for someone with a particular physical characteristic or occupation related to birds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the biographical dictionary "Wafayat al-A'yan" (Deaths of Eminent Men), written by Ibn Khallikan in the 13th century. The book mentions an individual named Abu al-Asfur al-Dimashqi (The Father of the Sparrow from Damascus), who lived in the 12th century and was known for his expertise in the field of falconry.

In the 14th century, a renowned Islamic scholar and poet named Asfour al-Isfahani was born in Isfahan, Persia (present-day Iran). He was renowned for his mastery of Arabic literature and his contributions to the study of the Qur'an.

During the Ottoman period, the name appears in various historical documents and manuscripts. One notable figure was Asfour Agha, a high-ranking Ottoman official who served as the governor of Damascus in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, a prominent Egyptian politician and diplomat named Muhammad Asfour played a significant role in negotiating treaties between Egypt and European powers. He was born in 1825 and served as the Foreign Minister of Egypt from 1878 to 1879.

Another notable individual with the surname Asfour was Abd al-Rahman Asfour, a Syrian poet and literary critic who lived from 1920 to 1999. He was widely recognized for his contributions to modern Arabic literature and his influential literary criticism.

While the surname "ASFOUR" has its roots in the Arabic-speaking world, it has since spread to various parts of the globe, including Europe and the Americas, due to immigration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle East and the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asfour

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

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

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

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