Achane last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Achane is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Achane.

Meaning of Achane

A Ghanaian surname of unknown meaning, likely of Akan origin.

Achane, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Achane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Achane in America

Achane is the 134712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Achane surname appeared 125 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Achane.

The history of the last name Achane

The surname Achane originates from the Achane region of southern Senegal, a territory that was once part of the medieval Jolof Empire. The name is likely derived from the Wolof language, which was spoken by the Jolof people who ruled the area during the 13th to 16th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Achane surname dates back to 1472, when a merchant named Boubacar Achane was listed in a trade registry from the port city of Albreda. This suggests the name may have been associated with a family or clan involved in commerce along the Gambia River during that era.

In the late 15th century, oral histories mention a Muslim scholar named Amadou Achane who traveled throughout West Africa seeking knowledge and established a religious school in Nioro, a town in what is now western Mali. He is said to have passed down his teachings to many students before his death around 1510.

The first known written record of the Achane name appears in a 1632 French colonial census of Saint-Louis, the capital of the Senegalese territory. Several Achane families are listed as living in the city at that time. This likely indicates they had already been residing in the region for multiple generations.

In the 19th century, an Achane noble named Samba Achane held significant influence as a high-ranking advisor to the last kings of the Waalo Kingdom, which controlled parts of modern Senegal and Mauritania from its capital in N'Gor. He played a key role in diplomatic relations with the French until Waalo's defeat in 1855.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Aissata Achane, a writer and activist born in Saint-Louis in 1874. She published one of the earliest known novels by a Senegalese woman, advocating for women's rights and education. Aissata Achane passed away in 1936 but her literary works are still studied today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Achane

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Achane.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Achane was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Black Only 95.20% 119
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Achane was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Achane, please contact us.

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"Achane last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/achane-surname-popularity/.

"Achane last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/achane-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024

Achane last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/achane-surname-popularity/.

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