Quaashie
A masculine name with origins in West Africa, meaning "Sunday-born".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Quaashie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Quaashie today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quaashie births was 1975 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quaashie. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Quaashie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1975
6 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1980 SSA rank
#7,026
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Quaashie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quaashie from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Quaashie 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 Quaashie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Quaashie
The name Quaashie has its origins in the Akan language, spoken by various ethnic groups in Ghana and Ivory Coast. It is derived from the Akan word "kwashi," which means "wanderer" or "traveler." The name is believed to have originated in the 17th or 18th century during the transatlantic slave trade, when many Akan people were forcibly transported to the Americas.
In the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica, the name Quaashie became a common name given to enslaved Africans of Akan descent. It was often used as a derogatory term by slave owners to refer to their enslaved workers. However, over time, the name was reclaimed by the Akan people and became a source of pride and resistance against oppression.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quaashie can be found in the writings of Edward Long, a British historian and planter in Jamaica in the late 18th century. He mentioned the name in his book "The History of Jamaica," published in 1774.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Quaashie. One of the most famous was Quaashie, an enslaved man in Jamaica who led a rebellion against the British in 1760. Although the rebellion was ultimately suppressed, Quaashie's legacy as a freedom fighter lived on.
Another famous Quaashie was Quaashie Idun Quaye (1892-1997), a Ghanaian artist and educator who played a significant role in promoting traditional Akan art and culture. He was known for his intricate wood carvings and taught at the Achimota College in Ghana.
Quaashie Sam (1901-1982) was a Jamaican musician and composer, renowned for his contributions to the development of mento, one of the earliest forms of Jamaican folk music. His songs, such as "Hill and Gully Rider" and "Linstead Market," became classics in the mento genre.
Quaashie Inaki (1922-2004) was a Ghanaian poet and playwright whose works explored themes of identity, tradition, and modernity. His play "The Dilemma of a Ghost" is considered a seminal work in Ghanaian theatre.
Quaashie Quartey (1910-1992) was a Ghanaian lawyer and politician who played a significant role in Ghana's independence movement. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and later as a member of parliament after Ghana gained independence in 1957.
While the name Quaashie has its roots in a painful history of oppression and slavery, it has also become a symbol of resilience, identity, and cultural pride for many people of Akan descent. Its enduring presence across generations and continents serves as a testament to the strength and perseverance of those who have borne this name.
People
Quaashie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quaashie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quaashie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quaashie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quaashie 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Quaashie a common name?
We classify Quaashie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quaashie most popular?
The single biggest year for Quaashie was 1975, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quaashie is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Quaashie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quaashie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quaashie 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.
Is Quaashie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quaashie 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 Quaashie 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Quaashie?
Find out how many people have the name Quaashie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.