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

Asokan, 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 Asokan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Asokan in America

Asokan is the 115034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Asokan surname appeared 152 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 Asokan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Asokan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Asokan

The surname ASOKAN is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil region of southern India. It is believed to have originated in the 7th or 8th century CE during the reign of the Pallava dynasty.

The name ASOKAN is derived from the Sanskrit word "Ashoka," which means "without sorrow" or "free from grief." This name was famously borne by the renowned Emperor Ashoka, who ruled over the Maurya Empire from 268 to 232 BCE.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name ASOKAN can be found in the inscriptions of the Pallava kings who ruled from Kanchipuram, an ancient city in present-day Tamil Nadu. These inscriptions, etched on stone temples and copper plates, date back to the 7th and 8th centuries CE.

During the Chola period, which spanned from the 9th to the 13th century CE, the name ASOKAN was also prominently featured in various literary works and official records. The Chola kings were known for their extensive patronage of art, literature, and architecture.

One notable individual with the surname ASOKAN was Asokan Maraikkayar, a 12th-century Tamil poet and scholar who lived during the reign of the Chola king Kulottunga III. His literary contributions, particularly in the field of grammar and poetics, were highly regarded in his time.

Another significant figure was Asokan Ravi, a 16th-century Tamil philosopher and theologian who made substantial contributions to the development of Saiva Siddhanta, a prominent school of Hindu philosophy.

In the 18th century, the ASOKAN surname gained prominence in the region of Thanjavur, where a family of skilled artists and architects bore this name. One member of this family, Asokan Nayak, was a renowned sculptor who worked on several temples and monuments during the Nayak dynasty.

During the British colonial period in India, the ASOKAN surname was also found among administrators and civil servants. Notably, Asokan Pillai (1829-1901) was a prominent judge and legal scholar who served in the Madras High Court.

In more recent times, Asokan Munusamy (1927-2011) was a Malaysian politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement and served as a member of parliament for several terms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Asokan

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

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 Asokan 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Asokan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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