2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Assing
A Germanic surname likely derived from a location named Assing or Assinghausen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 166 Americans carry the last name Assing. That puts it at #124,450 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,064,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Assing 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
166
1 in 2,064,785
Census rank
#124,450
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
145
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 145 bearers of the surname Assing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 124450th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Assing, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Two or More Races (15.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Assing
The surname ASSING has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the early 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "ahs," meaning "ash tree," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a prominent ash tree or in an area known for its abundance of ash trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ASSING surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Erfurt, in present-day Thuringia, Germany, where a certain Johannes Assing was mentioned in 1437. This record provides evidence of the surname's use in the region during the late medieval period.
The ASSING name has also been linked to various place names in Germany, particularly those containing the element "Asch" or "Asche," which is the modern German word for "ash." For example, the town of Aschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt was once known as Ascherleben, and it is possible that the ASSING surname originated from this or a similar location.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the ASSING surname. One such person was Johann Matthias Assing (1737-1797), a German theologian and writer who authored several religious works and served as a pastor in Altona, near Hamburg.
Another significant figure was Gustav Assing (1813-1876), a German revolutionary and writer who participated in the revolutionary movements of 1848-1849 and later emigrated to the United States, where he became a newspaper editor and prolific writer on political and social issues.
In the field of science, Hans Assing (1900-1984) was a German physicist who made significant contributions to the understanding of nuclear fission and participated in the early stages of Germany's nuclear research program during World War II.
The ASSING name also found its way into the realm of literature through the works of Ottilie Assing (1819-1884), a German writer and feminist who was a close friend and confidante of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Her correspondence with Nietzsche and her writings on his works have been widely studied and published.
Lastly, a more contemporary figure with the ASSING surname is Helmut Assing (1925-2017), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Assing Group, a successful conglomerate specializing in the production and distribution of construction materials and equipment.
While the surname ASSING may not be among the most common in Germany or other parts of the world, its historical roots and the notable individuals who have carried it demonstrate its enduring presence and significance across various fields and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Assing
Among Census respondents with the surname Assing, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Two or More Races (15.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Assing 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 Assing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.9% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.9% · 26
- Two or more races15.9% · 23
- White9.7% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino9.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Assing
Assing 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,662 places
2020
#124,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 7,662 places |
| 2020 | #124,450 | 145 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 6,265 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 Assing 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 | #118,185 | #124,450 | -5.3% |
| Count | 147 | 145 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Assing bearers went from 147 to 145 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 6,265 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #124,450.
FAQ
Assing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Assing?
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the surname Assing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,064,785 residents.
How common is Assing?
Assing ranks #124,450 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 145 people with the surname Assing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Assing.
Has Assing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Assing went from 147 recorded bearers to 145. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,185 to #124,450.
What does the Census say about the background of Assing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Assing, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Two or More Races (15.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Assing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.9% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Assing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%), Two or More Races (15.9%). 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 Assing (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 Assing mean?
A Germanic surname likely derived from a location named Assing or Assinghausen. 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 Assing (0.05 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 Assing?
You can see how many people are called Assing on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.