# Ashkenazi (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/ashkenazi/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Hebrew.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 545 |
| US rank (2010) | 40,204 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 566,506 people |
| Change since 2000 | +82% (300 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˌɑːʃkɪˈnɑːzi/, 4 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew אַשְׁכְּנַזִּי ('ashk'nazí), from Biblical Hebrew אַשְׁכְּנַז (ʾaškənaz). The biblical Ashkenaz was the son of Gomer, the grandson of Japheth, and the great-grandson of Noah. Ashkenaz's descendants were identified with the Germans by medieval Jewish tradition. Ashkenaz was also the name used for the Rhine river, which was the starting point of central and eastern European settlement by Jews, who are thought to have arrived in the region from Italy, and then spread east as they fled violent oppression and followed more favorable ownership laws. By surface analysis, Ashkenaz + -i.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ashkenazi in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 96% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.0% |

## Similar surnames

Akins, Ascencio, Aikens, Aguinaga, Asuncion, Askins, Asencio, Asmus, Ausmus, Assunção.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.