2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Askam
A locational surname referring to someone from Askam, a village in Cumbria, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Askam. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Askam 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 Askam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Askam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Askam, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Askam
The surname ASKAM originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, derived from the Old English words "æsc" meaning ash tree and "ham" meaning homestead or settlement. It suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived near an ash tree or in a place with a significant ash tree presence.
ASKAM was first recorded as a place name in Lancashire, England, where the hamlet of Askam-in-Furness is located. It appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Ascam", reflecting the Norman spelling of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of ASKAM as a surname dates back to the 13th century, with a John de Askam mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1221. The "de" prefix indicates that John was from the place called Askam.
In the 14th century, a Robert de Askam was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379. This record provides evidence of the surname's early usage and its connection to the region of Yorkshire.
A notable figure bearing the ASKAM surname was Sir Adam de Askam, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Another historically significant individual was John Askam, a 16th-century English Protestant reformer and scholar. Born in Westmorland in 1520, he was a tutor to Lady Jane Grey and later became the first Protestant Bishop of Winchester, serving from 1554 until his death in 1556.
In the 17th century, the ASKAM surname was recorded in the parish registers of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland, with the baptism of Thomas Askam in 1629.
A notable bearer of the ASKAM name in the 18th century was William Askam, an English barrister and legal writer born in 1725. He authored several works on legal subjects, including "A Course of Study Proper to Qualify a Student at Law for Practice" published in 1765.
In the 19th century, John Askam, born in 1835 in Yorkshire, was a prominent architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Askam
Among Census respondents with the surname Askam, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Askam 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 Askam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.8% · 9
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Askam
Askam 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,295 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 6,295 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 887 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 Askam 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 | #144,141 | #145,028 | -0.6% |
| Count | 115 | 116 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Askam bearers went from 115 to 116 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 887 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,028.
FAQ
Askam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Askam?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Askam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Askam?
Askam ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Askam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Askam.
Has Askam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Askam went from 115 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Askam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Askam, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Askam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Askam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Askam (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 Askam mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Askam, a village in Cumbria, England. 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 Askam (0.04 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 have the last name Askam?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Askam at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.