2000
#101,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Amankwah
A Ghanaian surname meaning "path maker" or "trail blazer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 705 Americans carry the last name Amankwah. That puts it at #38,716 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 486,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amankwah 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 Amankwah with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
705
1 in 486,176
Census rank
#38,716
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
615
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 615 bearers of the surname Amankwah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38716th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amankwah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amankwah
The surname Amankwah is of Ghanaian origin and can be traced back to the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. It is believed to have originated in the 17th or 18th century. The name Amankwah is derived from the Akan words "aman," meaning peace, and "kwa," meaning born or birthed. Together, the name can be interpreted to mean "born into peace" or "peacemaker."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amankwah can be found in the historical records of the Ashanti Kingdom, a powerful empire that ruled parts of present-day Ghana from the late 17th century to the late 19th century. The name appears in various documents and chronicles from this period, indicating its significance among the Akan people.
In the 19th century, a notable figure named Kwaku Amankwah (1820-1892) was a prominent chief and leader of the Ashanti people. He played a crucial role in the negotiations between the Ashanti Kingdom and the British colonial authorities during the latter part of the century.
Another individual of historical significance was Nana Amankwah Buadu (1860-1935), a renowned farmer and landowner from the Ashanti region. He was widely respected for his agricultural expertise and his contribution to the development of sustainable farming practices in his community.
In the 20th century, Dr. Yaw Amankwah (1928-2010) was a prominent Ghanaian academic and scholar. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana and made significant contributions to the advancement of higher education in the country.
Kwesi Amankwah (1946-2018) was a celebrated Ghanaian author and poet, known for his works that explored themes of identity, culture, and the African diaspora. His poetry collections, including "The Tears of a Patriarch" and "Echoes of a Cry," received critical acclaim both in Ghana and internationally.
The surname Amankwah has also been associated with various place names and locations in Ghana, such as Amankwahene, a town in the Ashanti Region, and Amankwahia, a village in the Eastern Region. These place names often reflect the historical presence and influence of individuals or families with the Amankwah surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amankwah
Among Census respondents with the surname Amankwah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Amankwah 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 Amankwah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.8% · 589
- White1.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 8
- Two or more races1.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amankwah
Amankwah 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
#52,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 395
+231 bearers (+140.9%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 49,172 places
2020
#38,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 615
+220 bearers (+55.7%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 13,766 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,654 | 164 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,482 | 395 | 0.13 | +231 bearers (+140.9%) | Up 49,172 places |
| 2020 | #38,716 | 615 | 0.21 | +220 bearers (+55.7%) | Up 13,766 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 Amankwah 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 | #52,482 | #38,716 | 26.2% |
| Count | 395 | 615 | 55.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.21 | 58.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amankwah bearers went from 395 to 615 (+55.7% change). The surname moved up 13,766 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,482 to #38,716.
FAQ
Amankwah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amankwah?
Name Census estimates that about 705 living Americans carry the surname Amankwah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 486,176 residents.
How common is Amankwah?
Amankwah ranks #38,716 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 615 people with the surname Amankwah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (705), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Amankwah.
Has Amankwah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amankwah went from 395 recorded bearers to 615. That is an increase of 220 (+55.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #52,482 to #38,716.
What does the Census say about the background of Amankwah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amankwah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Amankwah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amankwah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.8%), White (1.5%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Amankwah (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 Amankwah mean?
A Ghanaian surname meaning "path maker" or "trail blazer". 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 Amankwah (0.21 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 people share the surname Amankwah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.