2000
#9,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Asuncion
A Spanish topographic surname referring to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or a place named after this event.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,791 Americans carry the last name Asuncion. That puts it at #7,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Asuncion 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
4.8K
1 in 71,541
Census rank
#7,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,178 bearers of the surname Asuncion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Asuncion, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Asuncion
The surname Asuncion has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "Asunción," which means "Assumption" and refers to the religious feast day celebrating the assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven.
This surname likely originated in regions where this religious feast was particularly significant, such as Andalusia or Castile. The name may have been initially adopted by individuals born or baptized on or near the Feast of the Assumption, which falls on August 15th.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Asuncion can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a certain "Pero Asunción" from the town of Mérida.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in records associated with the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. For example, Juan de Asuncion was a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Asuncion spread to various parts of the Americas, particularly in regions with significant Spanish influence. One notable figure was María de la Asunción, a 17th-century Spanish nun and mystic who founded the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador.
Another individual of note was Miguel de Asunción, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Philippines and helped establish the Spanish presence in the region.
In the 18th century, Francisco de la Asunción Castañeda was a Spanish friar and missionary who worked among the indigenous populations in Texas, establishing several missions and contributing to the spread of Christianity in the region.
Variations of the surname, such as Asunción, Assunção, and Asunción-Ixtlilxóchitl, can be found in various Spanish-speaking countries, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences on the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Asuncion
Among Census respondents with the surname Asuncion, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Asuncion 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 Asuncion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.9% · 3,047
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 599
- Two or more races7.9% · 332
- White4.3% · 180
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Asuncion
Asuncion 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
#8,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,042
+969 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 1,491 places
2020
#7,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,178
+136 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 573 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,700 | 3,073 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,209 | 4,042 | 1.37 | +969 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 1,491 places |
| 2020 | #7,636 | 4,178 | 1.40 | +136 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 573 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 Asuncion 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 | #8,209 | #7,636 | 7.0% |
| Count | 4,042 | 4,178 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.40 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Asuncion bearers went from 4,042 to 4,178 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 573 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,209 to #7,636.
FAQ
Asuncion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Asuncion?
Name Census estimates that about 4,791 living Americans carry the surname Asuncion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,541 residents.
How common is Asuncion?
Asuncion ranks #7,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,178 people with the surname Asuncion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Asuncion.
Has Asuncion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Asuncion went from 4,042 recorded bearers to 4,178. That is an increase of 136 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,209 to #7,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Asuncion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Asuncion, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Asuncion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.9% (3,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Asuncion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.9%), Hispanic (14.3%), Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Asuncion (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 Asuncion mean?
A Spanish topographic surname referring to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or a place named after this event. 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 Asuncion (1.40 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 people have the surname Asuncion?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.