Explore the Family Name Assaf
The meaning of Assaf
1. Jewish (Israeli): from the Biblical name Asaph ‘he collected/gathered’, borne by a counselor of King David and King Solomon, to whom authorship of twelve of the Psalms is attributed (1 Chronicles 16:4–5; Psalms 50, 73–83). 2. Arabic (mainly Egypt and the Levant): from the personal name Āṣaf, of Hebrew origin (see 1 above). As the name of Suleiman’s (i.e. Solomon’s) grand wazir it came to be used proverbially as a name for any wise counselor. This surname is found among both Muslims and Christians. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Fadi, Sami, Ali, Hussein, Marwan, Samir, Abdulaziz, Abdullah, Aboud, Ahmad, Amal, Assaf. French Emile, Antoine, Jacques. Jewish Mendel, Moshe, Yehuda.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Assaf in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Assaf significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname improved from 27,386 in 2000 to 21,830 in 2010, which represents a growth of 20.29%. In terms of absolute numbers, the count of individuals with the surname Assaf also rose by 43.67%, from 829 in 2000 to 1,191 in 2010. This increase is reflected in the proportion per 100,000 people, which grew by 29.03% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #27,386 | #21,830 | 20.29% |
| Count | 829 | 1,191 | 43.67% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.31 | 0.4 | 29.03% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Assaf
The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals interesting shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Assaf. The proportion of those identifying as White saw an increase of 7.93% between 2000 and 2010, reaching 84.89% of all Assafs. The Hispanic category also observed a slight uptick of 2.07%. However, there were notable decreases for other ethnicities. The percentage of Assafs identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 34.10%, while the proportion reporting two or more races declined sharply by 51.35%. Those identifying as Black also dropped by 25.91%. Notably, no change was observed in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.65% | 84.89% | 7.93% |
| Hispanic | 7.24% | 7.39% | 2.07% |
| Two or More Races | 10.01% | 4.87% | -51.35% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.17% | 1.43% | -34.1% |
| Black | 1.93% | 1.43% | -25.91% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |