'asker' originates from Old English, specifically the verb 'ascian' (also attested as 'āscian'/'axian'), where the root 'asc-' meant 'to ask'. The agentive suffix '-er' (Old English '-ere') was added to form a noun meaning 'one who asks'.

'ask' changed from Old English 'ascian' (or 'axian') into Middle English forms such as 'asken' and 'aske', and the agent noun appeared as Middle English 'asker' or 'askere', eventually becoming the modern English 'asker'.

Initially, it meant 'one who asks' (i.e., someone who poses a question or makes a request), and that core meaning has largely remained in modern usage.