2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Asse
A surname originating from the French word for "oakwood", possibly indicating an association with oak forests or woodlands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Asse. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asse 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Asse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.9%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Asse
The surname "ASSE" has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "asse," which means "beam" or "plank." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with wood or lived near a prominent wooden structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "ASSE" can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Here, it appears as "de Asse," indicating that it may have initially been a locational surname referring to someone from a place called Asse.
During the 13th century, the name "ASSE" appears in various records from the region of Normandy in northern France. One notable bearer from this time was Jean d'Asse, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English in the mid-1300s.
As the centuries passed, the name "ASSE" spread across France and into other parts of Europe. In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Asse family was Jean-Baptiste d'Asse, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Lyon. His descendants continued to hold influential positions in the region for several generations.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records from the Netherlands, where it may have been adopted by French Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution. One notable Dutch bearer was Pieter van Asse, a renowned painter and engraver who lived from 1658 to 1718.
Moving into the 18th century, the name "ASSE" can be found in various parts of Germany and Switzerland, possibly due to migration and intermarriage with French families. One notable German bearer was Johann Friedrich Asse, a philosopher and theologian who lived from 1778 to 1845.
As the centuries progressed, the name "ASSE" continued to spread across Europe and beyond, carried by families seeking new opportunities or fleeing conflicts. Today, it remains a prominent surname in many countries, with notable bearers in fields ranging from politics and business to arts and sciences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asse
Among Census respondents with the surname Asse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.9%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Asse 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 Asse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.5% · 91
- White10.9% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asse
Asse appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,465 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 4,465 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 Asse 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 | #147,253 | #142,788 | 3.0% |
| Count | 112 | 119 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asse bearers went from 112 to 119 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 4,465 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #142,788.
FAQ
Asse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asse?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Asse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Asse?
Asse ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Asse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Asse.
Has Asse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asse went from 112 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 7 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Asse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.9%) and Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Asse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (76.5%), White (10.9%), Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Asse (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 Asse mean?
A surname originating from the French word for "oakwood", possibly indicating an association with oak forests or woodlands. 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 Asse (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 Asse?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.