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

Armah, 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 Armah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Armah in America

Armah is the 60790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Armah surname appeared 331 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 Armah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Armah 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 Armah

The surname Armah has its origins in Ghana, a country located in West Africa. It is derived from the Akan language, one of the most widely spoken languages in the region. The name can be traced back to the 14th century, during the rise of the Ashanti Empire.

Armah is believed to be a variant of the word 'Amrama', which means 'born on a Saturday' in Akan. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals born on that particular day of the week. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in oral histories and traditional folktales passed down through generations.

One of the earliest known references to the name Armah can be found in the Akan oral tradition, which recounts the story of Nana Armah Kwaku, a revered leader and warrior who lived in the late 16th century. Nana Armah Kwaku is celebrated for his bravery and strategic prowess during the expansion of the Ashanti Kingdom.

In the late 18th century, the name appeared in written records documenting the arrival of Akan traders and settlers in the Caribbean region. One notable figure from this period was Kwasi Armah, a businessman and community leader in Jamaica, who was born in 1772.

Another significant bearer of the name was Kwame Armah, a renowned Ghanaian scholar and philosopher who lived from 1888 to 1976. Armah was a prominent figure in the Pan-African movement and played a crucial role in shaping the intellectual discourse around African identity and decolonization.

In the realm of literature, Ayi Kwei Armah is a highly acclaimed Ghanaian novelist and essayist. Born in 1939, Armah's works, such as "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born" and "Two Thousand Seasons," have gained international recognition and explored themes of social criticism and cultural identity.

The name Armah has also been associated with places in Ghana, such as Armah-Obeng, a town located in the Central Region. Additionally, variations like Arma and Armah-Mensah have been recorded throughout history.

While the surname Armah has its roots in Ghana and the Akan culture, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of West Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Armah

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

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

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

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