Origin
Ancestral homestead
The Awsumb ancestral farmstead, Åsum (also Aasumb or Aasum), is located along the Glomma (or Glåma) River in the traditional district of Vinger and near the modern municipality of Kongsvinger (Hedmark), Norway. The ancient farmstead was likely first cleared during the Viking Age. With the Christianization of Scandinavia came property records, which date back to the 1390s for ownership of the Åsum farm. Over the next several centuries, the Åsum farm exchanged ownership by many different families and went through periods of abandonment. Ancestors of the Awsumb family acquired the homestead in 1850 and adopted the surname Åsum as it was customary for farmers to add on the name of their farm to their first and patronymic names.
Immigrant to America
Awsumbs trace their ancestry, and the Anglicized spelling of their name, to three Norwegian brothers that immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s. The first person to spell the surname A-w-s-u-m-b was either Ole Aasum or Hans Aasum, with the Anglicized spelling change occurring after emigration to the United States and settlement in Donnelly, Minnesota. Later, Johannes Olsen Aasum arrived in the United States in 1871, changing his name to John O. Awsumb. Another brother, Haugan Aasum, remained in Norway. The four brothers were descendants of Ole Hansen Aasum (1820 -1859) who lived and died in Norway.
Other Aasum people
There are many people and places throughout Scandinavia that share the habitational name Åsum (also Aasumb or Aasum). The Awsumb family, however, only traces its ancestry to those living on the Åsum homestead in Vinger after 1850 and into the first part of the 1900s. The Awsumbs do not necessarily share a common lineage with contemporary residents of Åsum. Awsumbs also do not necessarily share a common lineage with Aasums or AAsums living in Scandinavia and North America.
Meaning and pronunciation
Åsum, Aasum and Aasumb
Åsum, Aasum and Aasumb have the same meaning and pronunciation. The place name Aasum (also spelled Aasumb) is of Old Norse origin. In the late Middle Ages, it became written as Åsum. In Norwegian, the word ås (also spelled aas) means a ridge or hill. The suffix um or umb—similar to the Norwegian name endings heim, hem or hjem—may signify a home or farmstead, though in Old Norse is often means around. Roughly translated Åsum means hill home or hilly farmstead. The International Phonetic Alphabet pronunciation of Åsum is approximately /ɔː/ + /u/ with the stress on first syllable.
Awsumb
Awsumb can be pronounced in its original Norwegian form (Åsum) or similar to the English word awesome. The ending of Awsumb with the letter b helps denote a short form of u (IPA: /u/). The b is silent.
Contributions to American life
The Awsumb family and name is Norwegian American. The only people with the surname Awsumb, however, are American citizens. Relatives in Norway retained Åsum or other patronymic surnames.
Over the last century, Awsumbs have served in the U.S. military with distinction and as civil servants. Awsumbs have also contributed to American society as artists, entertainers, writers and teachers. Yet, the Awsumb surname is exceedingly rare with less than 200 known birth records in the United States. There were less than 100 people with the surname Awsumb in the 2000 U.S. Census.
Famous Awsumbs include Roger Awsumb (1928-2002), who is most known for his television role as Casey Jones on a WTCN-Minneapolis children’s program that aired in the 1950s and 1960s. Roger was selected as a Character Inductee to the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2001.
Awsumb 