Asher (Hebrew: אָשֵׁר ‘Āšêr) means “happy, blessed,” and in the Old Testament is a son of Jacob by Leah’s handmaiden, Zilpah. The ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of his name is explained in Genesis 30, 13 in which it is reported that Leah at the birth of her son exclaimed: “Because of my good fortune, because women have declared me fortunate”, for this reason she named him Asher.

Asher’s only full brother was Gad (Genesis 30, 9-11), and Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. His daughter was named Serah (Genesis 46, 17). Asher’s descendants, the אשרי (Asherites; Judges 1, 32) formed one of the twelve tribes of Israel and settled the northern part of Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

In Greek this name is spelled Ασηρ; Aser (Luke 2, 36 & Revelation 7, 6).