Askew
A mainly Yorkshire surname from a place-name, later also linked to spellings like Ayscough and Ascough.
The #2,634 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,564 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Askew is generally explained as a locational surname from Aiskew, a township in Bedale parish, North Yorkshire. The place-name is usually taken to come from Old Norse elements meaning “ash wood” or “ash grove,” reflecting Scandinavian settlement in northern England. Older spellings of the surname include Ayscough, Ascough, Ascue, and Ayscue, which show how variable medieval and later spelling could be.
History
The name is strongly associated with Yorkshire in the historical record, and the best-known bearer is Anne Askew, the Protestant martyr of the 16th century. English surname dictionaries also treat Askew as part of a wider cluster of local surnames with many spelling variants, some of which later became distinct-looking family names. In modern use, Askew survives in Britain and the United States, though it remains relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname’s famous bearer, Anne Askew, was executed in 1546 and became one of the best-known Protestant martyrs of Henry VIII’s reign.
From the historical record
“shire, the ancient abode of the family. ASKER. A corruption of Askew. ASKEW. Aiskew, a township in the parish of Bedale, N.R. Yorkshire; Ascue, Ayscue, Ascough, and Ayscough, are various spellings of this palronjinic. ASKIN. A modern Irish corruption of Arcedekne. ASKHA]\L ASCHAM. Parishes in Yorkshire, Notts, and…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom