Asher
A surname from a biblical Hebrew personal name meaning “happy” or “blessed,” later adopted in English and sometimes reinforced by German forms.
The #2,695 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,091 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Asher comes from the Hebrew personal name ʾAsher, which means “happy” or “blessed.” In the Bible, Asher is one of the sons of Jacob, and the name was used as a given name before becoming a surname. English surname use is usually patronymic, meaning “descendant of Asher,” and some bearers in the United States likely also came through German surnames such as Ascher or Aschers.
History
19th-century surname writers treated Asher as a baptismal or patronymic surname from the biblical name Asher. The name appears in England and other English-speaking areas, but in the United States it was also strengthened by immigration from German-speaking families with similar surnames. The biblical name itself has remained familiar because of its long religious and literary history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname scholar specifically noted that the frequency of Asher in U.S. directories was partly due to German Aschers.
From the historical record
“N.S.W. ii copies.) ASHER & Co., Booksellers, Berlin. Ayrb, Rev. Canon, Ulverston. Baker, T., Bookseller, London, W. Bardsley, Rev. J. U. N., Ulverston. Bardsley, Mrs. J. W., Huddersfield. Bardsley, Rev. R. W., Ripon. (6 copies.) Barrow-in-Furness Free Pubuc Library. Bell, Rev. J. B., Ulverston. Brooke, Sir Thomas…”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances