Explore the Family Name Asta

The meaning of Asta

1. Italian (Sicily): nickname from asta ‘lance, spear’, used to denote a user of such weapon or a tall and thin person. 2. French (southern): unexplained. This surname is very rare in France. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Giacomo, Pasquale, Vito. French Henri, Marcel.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Asta in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, in terms of popularity, the surname Asta has seen a slight increase in the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked 37,480th, but by 2010, it had moved up to 37,076 — a modest rise of 1.08%. The count of individuals with this last name also grew from 559 in 2000 to 602 in 2010, marking a 7.69% increase. However, its proportion per 100,000 people slightly decreased from 0.21 to 0.20, demonstrating a -4.76% change.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#37,480	#37,076	1.08%
Count	559	602	7.69%
Proportion per 100k	0.21	0.2	-4.76%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Asta

When considering ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals a diverse range of ethnic identities associated with the surname Asta. The majority identify as White, although this percentage dropped slightly from 91.23% in 2000 to 87.04% in 2010. Meanwhile, the proportion identifying as Hispanic rose by 17.87%, from 7.33% to 8.64%. Of note is the significant increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, which jumped from 0.89% to 1.83%, indicating a 105.62% change. For the first time in 2010, some bearers of the surname Asta identified as Black, while the percentages for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native or belonging to two or more races remained at zero.

	2000	2010	Change
White	91.23%	87.04%	-4.59%
Hispanic	7.33%	8.64%	17.87%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.89%	1.83%	105.62%
Black	0%	1.83%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%