2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ashorn
A variant spelling of the surname Asburn which is of Olde English origin referring to someone from the ash tree place or ash tree settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Ashorn. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashorn 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.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Ashorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ashorn
The surname ASHORN is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire, during the medieval period around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "aesc" meaning ash tree, and "horn" meaning a small promontory or spur of land, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near an ash tree on a small hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ASHORN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1379, where a certain Robert Ashorn is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Askrigg. The spelling variations at that time included Askehorn, Askehorne, and Askhorne.
In the 16th century, the name ASHORN appeared in the parish records of the village of Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales, where a family by the name of Ashorn lived for several generations. Some notable individuals from this family include John Ashorn, born in 1542, who was a local farmer and landowner, and his son, William Ashorn, born in 1578, who served as a churchwarden in the village church.
Another significant figure bearing the surname ASHORN was Richard Ashorn, born in 1621 in the village of Coverham, Yorkshire. He was a prominent merchant and trader who established trade routes between England and the Netherlands, and his name is mentioned in several historical documents related to trade and commerce in the 17th century.
Moving into the 18th century, the name ASHORN can be found in the records of the parish of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, where a family by the name of Ashorn lived for several generations. One notable member of this family was John Ashorn, born in 1732, who was a respected local magistrate and landowner.
In the 19th century, the ASHORN surname spread beyond Yorkshire to other parts of England, and some members of the family emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable individual from this era was William Ashorn, born in 1842 in the village of Burnsall, Yorkshire, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of Manchester.
These are just a few examples of the historical presence and significance of the surname ASHORN, which has its roots firmly planted in the counties of Yorkshire and the surrounding areas of northern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashorn 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 Ashorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 97
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashorn
Ashorn 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,695 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-10 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,553 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,695 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 5,553 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 Ashorn 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 | #150,452 | #156,005 | -3.7% |
| Count | 109 | 99 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashorn bearers went from 109 to 99 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 5,553 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #156,005.
FAQ
Ashorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashorn?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Ashorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Ashorn?
Ashorn ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Ashorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ashorn.
Has Ashorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashorn went from 109 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ashorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ashorn (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 Ashorn mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Asburn which is of Olde English origin referring to someone from the ash tree place or ash tree settlement. 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 Ashorn (0.03 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 are called Ashorn?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Ashorn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.