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

Ankrah, 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 Ankrah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ankrah in America

Ankrah is the 50659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ankrah surname appeared 412 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 Ankrah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ankrah to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ankrah

The surname Ankrah originates from Ghana in West Africa. It is derived from the Akan language spoken by the Akan ethnic group. The name is believed to have its roots in the 15th century during the height of the Ashanti Empire.

The name Ankrah is thought to be a combination of the Akan words "an" meaning eye and "kra" meaning soul or spirit. Thus, the name can be interpreted as "soul's eye" or "eye of the soul". This name may have been given to someone who was perceived as having deep spiritual insight or wisdom.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ankrah can be found in oral histories and traditional folktales passed down through generations among the Akan people. The name is also found in some historical records kept by European traders and explorers who visited the region in the 17th and 18th centuries.

One notable bearer of the Ankrah name was Nana Ankrah, a powerful chief and military leader of the Ashanti people in the late 18th century. He led his armies in battles against the British and other European forces during the series of conflicts known as the Anglo-Ashanti Wars.

Another historically significant figure with the Ankrah surname was Kwadwo Ankrah, a prominent Ghanaian politician and diplomat in the mid-20th century. He served as Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs and played a key role in international relations during the early years of the country's independence.

In the 19th century, an Ankrah family is recorded as having settled in the coastal town of Anomabu, which was an important trading center during that time. This family produced several influential merchants and traders who facilitated commerce between Ghana and other parts of West Africa.

Other notable individuals with the Ankrah surname include Samuel Ankrah, a Ghanaian educator and writer in the early 20th century, and Joseph Ankrah, a renowned Ghanaian musician and composer who helped popularize traditional Akan music in the latter half of the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ankrah

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

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 Ankrah was:

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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ankrah has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Ankrah was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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