2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Asnes
A surname of French origin meaning "donkeys".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Asnes. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asnes 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.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Asnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Asnes
The surname ASNES originated in Norway during the medieval period, around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "asni," which means "donkey" or "ass." The name was likely initially a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's occupation or association with donkeys.
In the early days, surnames were often based on physical attributes, occupations, or locations. The ASNES name may have been given to someone who worked with donkeys, such as a farmer or a trader who transported goods using these animals.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the ASNES surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents. The name appears in a document dated 1267, referring to a man named Thorstein Asnes from the region of Trøndelag in central Norway.
During the 14th century, the ASNES name began to spread to other parts of Norway, as well as to neighboring countries like Sweden and Denmark. In Sweden, the name was sometimes spelled as "Åsnes" or "Åsne," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Notable individuals with the ASNES surname include:
1. Niels Asnes (c. 1480 - c. 1550), a Norwegian farmer and landowner who was involved in disputes over property rights during the Protestant Reformation in Norway.
2. Inger Asnes (1590 - 1670), a Norwegian woman accused of witchcraft during the Scandinavian witch trials in the 17th century.
3. Johan Asnes (1733 - 1804), a Norwegian military officer who served in the Danish-Norwegian army during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Arne Asnes (1892 - 1968), a Norwegian writer and journalist who authored several novels and short stories about rural life in Norway.
5. Ingrid Asnes (1924 - 2001), a Norwegian artist known for her landscape paintings and portraiture, particularly her depictions of traditional Norwegian life and culture.
While the ASNES surname has its origins in medieval Norway, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, the name remains most prevalent in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden, where it continues to hold a connection to its historical roots and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Asnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Asnes 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 Asnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asnes
Asnes 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+15 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,045 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-17 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 5,045 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 16,223 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 Asnes 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 | #134,712 | #150,935 | -12.0% |
| Count | 125 | 108 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asnes bearers went from 125 to 108 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 16,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #150,935.
FAQ
Asnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asnes?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Asnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Asnes?
Asnes ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Asnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Asnes.
Has Asnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asnes went from 125 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Asnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Asnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Asnes (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 Asnes mean?
A surname of French origin meaning "donkeys". 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 Asnes (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 Americans have the surname Asnes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.