Ashunti
A feminine name derived from the Akan language of West Africa.
Name Census estimates that about 294 living Americans carry the first name Ashunti. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ashunti today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ashunti births was 2002 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ashunti. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
294
~ 1 in 1,165,831 Americans
Peak year
2002
70 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2015 SSA rank
#16,750
Tracked since 1980
Census
Ashunti in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 275 people with the first name Ashunti, which placed it at #31,234 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,234
National first-name rank
People counted
275
275 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashunti
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ashunti is Black at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ashunti described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ashunti at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.5% · 268
- White1.1% · 3
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
Popularity
Ashunti: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ashunti from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 177 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ashunti by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ashunti during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ashuntis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Georgia, Mississippi, Texas recorded the most babies named Ashunti, while Louisiana, Alabama, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ashunti
The name Ashunti is believed to have its origins in the Akan language spoken by the Akan people of West Africa, primarily in present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast. The name is derived from the word "ashanti," which refers to the Ashanti Kingdom, a powerful empire that once dominated much of the region.
According to historical records, the Ashanti Kingdom reached its peak during the 18th and 19th centuries, and its rulers were renowned for their military prowess, wealth, and cultural achievements. The name Ashunti is thought to have emerged during this period, possibly as a way to honor the kingdom's legacy or to convey a sense of strength and resilience.
While the name Ashunti does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it carries a strong connection to the rich cultural heritage of the Akan people. The earliest recorded examples of the name are found in historical documents and oral traditions dating back to the 18th century.
One of the most notable figures bearing the name Ashunti was Ashunti Osei Tutu (1695-1717), a ruler of the Ashanti Kingdom who played a pivotal role in consolidating the empire's power and expanding its territories. His reign was marked by military victories and the establishment of a centralized administrative system.
Another prominent individual with the name Ashunti was Ashunti Agyeman Prempeh I (1888-1970), who served as the last king of the Ashanti Kingdom before it was annexed by the British in the late 19th century. Despite the loss of his kingdom, Prempeh I remained a respected figure and advocate for the preservation of Akan culture and traditions.
In the realm of literature, Ashunti Akyeampong (1915-2001) was a celebrated Ghanaian writer and educator who made significant contributions to the development of African literature. Her works, which often explored themes of identity and cultural heritage, earned her widespread acclaim and numerous awards.
Ashunti Nketiah (1930-2008) was a renowned Ghanaian ethnomusicologist and scholar who dedicated his life to the study and preservation of traditional African music and dance. His extensive research and publications played a crucial role in promoting and documenting the rich musical traditions of Ghana and other African nations.
Lastly, Ashunti Kyeremateng (born 1946) is a Ghanaian-British politician and former member of the British Parliament. She served as a member of the Conservative Party and held various government positions, including Minister of State for International Development and Minister for Trade and Investment.
People
Ashunti + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ashunti as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ashunti: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ashunti?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 294 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ashunti going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,165,831 US residents.
Is Ashunti a common name?
We classify Ashunti as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 301 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ashunti most popular?
The single biggest year for Ashunti was 2002, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ashunti is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ashunti in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 275 people with the name Ashunti, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,234 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ashunti in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ashunti?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ashunti leans strongly female. 263 people counted with this name were female (94.6%), compared with 15 male bearers (5.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ashunti?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ashunti is Black at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ashunti most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ashunti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (268 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ashunti in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ashunti a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ashunti in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ashunti still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ashunti in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ashunti can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Ashunti as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.