2000
#51,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Rare Last name
Adu
A Ghanaian surname of unknown meaning, possibly derived from a place name or given name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,565 Americans carry the last name Adu. That puts it at #19,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 219,012 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adu surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Adu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 219,012
Census rank
#19,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,365 bearers of the surname Adu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adu, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adu
The surname Adu is believed to have originated in West Africa, specifically in the regions of Ghana and Togo. It is thought to have derived from the Akan language, where "Adu" means "tree" or "palm tree." The name is commonly found among the Akan people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Ghana.
In the late 17th century, records from the British colony of the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) mention individuals with the surname Adu. These early records suggest that the name was already well-established among the local population at that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adu can be found in the diary of a Dutch trader, Jan Nieser, who visited the Gold Coast in 1701. Nieser documented his interactions with a local chief named Kwame Adu, indicating that the name was prevalent in the region during that period.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as the transatlantic slave trade brought many Africans to the Americas, the surname Adu was carried across the Atlantic. Notable individuals bearing this name include Quobna Ottobah Cugoano, a Ghanaian abolitionist and author, who was born around 1757 and wrote a influential book titled "Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery."
Another notable figure was Samuel Adu, a Ghanaian educator and writer who lived from 1884 to 1958. He played a significant role in promoting education and literacy in Ghana during the early 20th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Adu was Kofi Adu, a Ghanaian diplomat and politician who served as the first African Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006.
Other notable individuals with the surname Adu include Asamoah Adu, a Ghanaian football player who played for several European clubs in the 1980s and 1990s, and Mensa Adu, a Ghanaian musician and composer who was active in the mid-20th century and helped popularize the highlife genre.
Overall, the surname Adu has a rich history rooted in West African cultures, particularly among the Akan people of Ghana and Togo. Its meaning and origins can be traced back to the Akan language, and it has been carried across the globe by individuals of African descent, leaving a lasting mark on various cultural and historical contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adu
Among Census respondents with the surname Adu, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Adu bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Adu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.0% · 1,256
- White2.9% · 40
- Two or more races2.3% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adu
Adu appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#28,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 821
+445 bearers (+118.4%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 23,005 places
2020
#19,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,365
+544 bearers (+66.3%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 9,183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,945 | 376 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,940 | 821 | 0.28 | +445 bearers (+118.4%) | Up 23,005 places |
| 2020 | #19,757 | 1,365 | 0.46 | +544 bearers (+66.3%) | Up 9,183 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Adu surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #28,940 | #19,757 | 31.7% |
| Count | 821 | 1,365 | 66.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.46 | 63.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adu bearers went from 821 to 1,365 (+66.3% change). The surname moved up 9,183 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,940 to #19,757.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Adu
FAQ
Adu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adu?
Name Census estimates that about 1,565 living Americans carry the surname Adu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 219,012 residents.
How common is Adu?
Adu ranks #19,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,365 people with the surname Adu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Adu.
Has Adu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adu went from 821 recorded bearers to 1,365. That is an increase of 544 (+66.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #28,940 to #19,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Adu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adu, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Adu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.0%), White (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Adu (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Adu mean?
A Ghanaian surname of unknown meaning, possibly derived from a place name or given name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Adu (0.46 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Adu?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.