2000
#2,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,095
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.85
Uncommon Last name
Askew
Originating from Middle English, referring to someone who lived at a crooked or slanted place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,997 Americans carry the last name Askew. That puts it at #2,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,855 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Askew 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 Askew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,855
Census rank
#2,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,078 bearers of the surname Askew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Askew, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Askew
The surname Askew has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ascu" or "asc," meaning ash tree, and the suffix "-hyll," signifying a hill or ridge. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near or on an ash-covered hill or ridge.
In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "Askewe" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This document, compiled during the reign of King Edward I, was an important record of landowners and tenants at the time.
The name Askew can be found in various historical records throughout the centuries. For instance, it appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a certain John Askew was listed as a taxpayer. Additionally, the name is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, indicating its presence in different regions of England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Askew was Sir Adam Askew, a nobleman who lived in the late 14th century. He was a prominent figure in Lancashire and held the manor of Stalmine in the Fylde region.
Another notable bearer of the name was Anne Askew (1521-1546), a Protestant martyr during the English Reformation. She was tried for heresy and famously tortured on the rack for her beliefs before being burned at the stake in London.
In the 16th century, the Askew family established themselves in the village of Redheugh, near Newcastle upon Tyne. One of their descendants, John Askew (1598-1659), was a notable puritan minister who served as the rector of Greystoke in Cumberland.
The name also has connections to place names, such as Askew Hill in the village of Askew Bridge in Yorkshire. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Askew include Sir Robert Askew (1690-1772), a British Member of Parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire, and Anthony Askew (1722-1774), a distinguished physician and classical scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Physic at Cambridge University.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Askew
Among Census respondents with the surname Askew, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Askew 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 Askew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.3% · 6,181
- White44.6% · 5,831
- Two or more races4.7% · 619
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 338
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Askew
Askew 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
#2,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,683
+588 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.64
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#2,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,078
-605 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.38
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,530 | 13,095 | 4.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,634 | 13,683 | 4.64 | +588 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #2,692 | 13,078 | 4.38 | -605 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 58 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 Askew 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 | #2,634 | #2,692 | -2.2% |
| Count | 13,683 | 13,078 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.64 | 4.38 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Askew bearers went from 13,683 to 13,078 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,634 to #2,692.
FAQ
Askew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Askew?
Name Census estimates that about 14,997 living Americans carry the surname Askew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,855 residents.
How common is Askew?
Askew ranks #2,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,078 people with the surname Askew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Askew.
Has Askew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Askew went from 13,683 recorded bearers to 13,078. That is a decrease of 605 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,634 to #2,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Askew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Askew, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Askew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.3% (6,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Askew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.3%), White (44.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Askew (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 Askew mean?
Originating from Middle English, referring to someone who lived at a crooked or slanted place. 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 Askew (4.38 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 common is the surname Askew?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Askew on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.