Kwaku
Masculine Akan name meaning "born on Wednesday".
Name Census estimates that about 471 living Americans carry the first name Kwaku. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kwaku today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kwaku births was 1995 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kwaku. 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
471
~ 1 in 727,716 Americans
Peak year
1995
18 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,462
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Kwaku: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kwaku from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 132 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kwaku remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kwaku 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 Kwaku during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kwakus live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kwaku
Kwaku is a given name of Akan origin, an ethnic group primarily found in Ghana and parts of Ivory Coast. The name is derived from the Akan word "kwaku," meaning born on Wednesday. It is one of the traditional "day names" given to children based on the day of the week they were born.
The Akan people have a long-standing cultural tradition of naming children after the day of the week they were born, with each day having a corresponding name. This tradition dates back centuries and is believed to have originated in the Akan homelands of present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Historically, the name Kwaku has been recorded in various Akan literary works and oral traditions. It is mentioned in some Akan folktales and proverbs, reflecting its deep roots in the culture. However, there are no known references to the name in ancient religious scriptures or texts from outside the Akan culture.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kwaku can be found in the 18th century, when it was documented by European travelers and writers who encountered the Akan people. Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Kwaku.
Kwaku Dua I (1838-1867) was a prominent chief of the Asante Empire, known for his military campaigns and resistance against British colonialism in Ghana.
Kwaku Ansah (1956-2015) was a renowned Ghanaian actor and filmmaker, best known for his roles in popular Ghanaian movies and plays.
Kwaku Baah (1924-2008) was a Ghanaian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the Ambassador to the United Nations.
Kwaku Anim (1905-1982) was a pioneering Ghanaian playwright and educator, widely regarded as the father of modern Ghanaian drama.
Kwaku Frimpong (1934-2014) was a celebrated Ghanaian artist and sculptor, whose works portrayed traditional Akan culture and themes.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Kwaku throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and cultural significance within the Akan community.
People
Kwaku + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kwaku as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kwaku: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kwaku?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 471 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kwaku 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 727,716 US residents.
Is Kwaku a common name?
We classify Kwaku as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 483 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kwaku most popular?
The single biggest year for Kwaku was 1995, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kwaku is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kwaku a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kwaku in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.