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

Asif, 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 Asif surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asif in America

Asif is the 19296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asif surname appeared 1,403 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 Asif.

We can also compare 2010 data for Asif 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 Asif

The surname "ASIF" is of Arabic origin and dates back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "asaf" which means "sorry" or "regretful". The name likely originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the early days of Islam.

In the 9th century, the name can be found in historical records from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over a vast empire stretching from North Africa to Central Asia. One notable figure was Asif ibn Barkhiya, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in Baghdad during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (786-809 AD).

As Islam spread across the Middle East and North Africa, the name "ASIF" traveled with Arab traders, soldiers, and scholars. It can be found in medieval manuscripts and documents from regions such as Egypt, Syria, and Morocco.

One of the earliest known references to the name "ASIF" is in the "Kitab al-Aghanī" (Book of Songs), a 10th-century anthology of Arabic poetry and biographical accounts. It mentions an individual named Asif al-Andalusi, a poet and musician from Islamic Spain.

In the 12th century, the name appears in the writings of the famous Muslim historian and traveler, Ibn Battuta. He mentions meeting a man named Asif during his travels through Persia (modern-day Iran).

During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over much of the Middle East and North Africa from the 14th to the 20th century, the name "ASIF" was relatively common. One notable figure was Asif Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and Grand Vizier who lived in the 18th century (1720-1783).

Another prominent individual with the surname "ASIF" was Muhammad Asif Khan, a 19th-century ruler of the princely state of Rampur in British India. He was born in 1800 and ruled from 1855 until his death in 1867.

In the 20th century, Asif Ali Zardari, the former President of Pakistan (2008-2013), is perhaps the most well-known person with the surname "ASIF". He was born in 1955 and is also known for being the husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, a prominent Pakistani politician.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asif

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

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

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

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