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

Asghar, 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 Asghar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asghar in America

Asghar is the 28465th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asghar surname appeared 838 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 Asghar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Asghar 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 Asghar

The surname ASGHAR has its origins in the Persian language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages in regions that are now part of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan. The name is derived from the Persian word "asghar," which means "younger" or "smaller," suggesting that it may have initially been used as a descriptive term to distinguish between siblings or family members.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ASGHAR surname can be found in the "Tarikh-e Beyhaghi," a historical chronicle written in the 11th century by the Persian historian Abu'l-Fazl Beyhaqi. This work mentions several individuals with the surname, indicating its usage during the Ghaznavid dynasty in the region.

During the Timurid period in the 14th and 15th centuries, the ASGHAR name gained prominence, particularly in the city of Herat, which was a cultural and intellectual center at the time. One notable figure from this period was Mir Asghar, a renowned Persian poet who lived in the late 15th century and was renowned for his mastery of the ghazal form of poetry.

In the 16th century, the ASGHAR surname appears in records from the Safavid Empire, which ruled over a vast territory spanning modern-day Iran, parts of Afghanistan, and the Caucasus region. During this time, the name was associated with several influential families and individuals, including Asghar Beg, a military commander who served under Shah Ismail I.

As the centuries passed, the ASGHAR surname spread to other parts of the Persian cultural sphere, including Central Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent. One notable figure from this period was Mirza Asghar Khan, a prominent noble and statesman from the Mughal Empire in the 17th century.

In more recent history, the ASGHAR surname has been carried by several notable individuals, such as Asghar Ali Engineer, an Indian Muslim scholar and activist who worked towards promoting inter-religious understanding and social justice (1939-2013). Another prominent figure was Asghar Khan, a former Pakistani Air Force officer and politician who played a significant role in the country's politics in the latter half of the 20th century (1921-2018).

Throughout its long history, the ASGHAR surname has maintained its Persian roots and has been associated with various cultural and intellectual achievements across the regions where it has been found. While its origins may have been humble, the name has left an indelible mark on the rich tapestry of Persian and Islamic history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asghar

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!