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

Asmal, 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 Asmal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asmal in America

Asmal is the 111426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asmal surname appeared 158 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 Asmal.

The history of the last name Asmal

The surname ASMAL originated in the northern Indian subcontinent, specifically in what is now Pakistan. It likely traces its roots back to the 8th century CE, emerging from the Arabic word "asmal" meaning "dark-skinned" or "black-complexioned." This descriptor may have been used to distinguish individuals with darker skin tones within the region.

During the Mughal Empire's reign over the Indian subcontinent, spanning the 16th to 19th centuries, the ASMAL name gained prominence. Records from this period indicate that several notable figures bore this surname, including Asmal Khan, a military commander who served under Emperor Akbar in the late 16th century.

The ASMAL name also appeared in ancient Persian manuscripts and chronicles, reflecting the cultural exchange and migration patterns between the Indian subcontinent and Persia (modern-day Iran). One such reference is found in the "Tarikh-e-Ferishta," a historical text by the 17th-century scholar Mahomed Qasim Ferishta, which mentions an ASMAL family residing in the city of Herat, Afghanistan.

In the late 19th century, the ASMAL surname spread to other parts of the British Empire as individuals emigrated from the Indian subcontinent. Moulvi Abdullah Asmal, born in 1860 in Bombay (now Mumbai), was a prominent Muslim scholar and educator who settled in South Africa, where he established several Islamic schools and educational institutions.

Another notable figure bearing the ASMAL name was Abdul Kader Asmal, a South African politician and activist born in 1939. He played a significant role in the anti-apartheid movement and later served as Minister of Education and Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry in the post-apartheid government.

Other individuals of historical significance with the ASMAL surname include Khalid Asmal, a Pakistani diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to several nations in the 1970s and 1980s, and Fatima Asmal, a pioneering Pakistani educationist who founded the prestigious Convent of Jesus and Mary school in Lahore in the early 20th century.

While the ASMAL surname has gained global recognition, its origins can be traced back to the northern Indian subcontinent, where it emerged as a descriptive name reflecting the complexion of individuals bearing it. Over the centuries, the name has been carried across borders, leaving an indelible mark on various cultures and societies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asmal

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

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 Asmal 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!