2000
#33,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 652
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Rare Last name
Asif
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "healthy" or "well."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,711 Americans carry the last name Asif. That puts it at #12,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asif 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Asif with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,431
Census rank
#12,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,364 bearers of the surname Asif in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asif, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and White (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asif
Among Census respondents with the surname Asif, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and White (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Asif 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 Asif surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.5% · 2,187
- Two or more races2.8% · 66
- White2.7% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asif
Asif 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
#19,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,403
+751 bearers (+115.2%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 13,794 places
2020
#12,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,364
+961 bearers (+68.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 6,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,090 | 652 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,296 | 1,403 | 0.48 | +751 bearers (+115.2%) | Up 13,794 places |
| 2020 | #12,517 | 2,364 | 0.79 | +961 bearers (+68.5%) | Up 6,779 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 Asif 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 | #19,296 | #12,517 | 35.1% |
| Count | 1,403 | 2,364 | 68.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.79 | 64.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asif bearers went from 1,403 to 2,364 (+68.5% change). The surname moved up 6,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,296 to #12,517.
FAQ
Asif surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asif?
Name Census estimates that about 2,711 living Americans carry the surname Asif. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,431 residents.
How common is Asif?
Asif ranks #12,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,364 people with the surname Asif. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Asif.
Has Asif become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asif went from 1,403 recorded bearers to 2,364. That is an increase of 961 (+68.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,296 to #12,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Asif?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asif, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and White (2.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Asif in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asif appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%), White (2.7%). 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 Asif (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 Asif mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "healthy" or "well." 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 Asif (0.79 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 Asif?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Asif at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.