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

Ashong, 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 Ashong surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ashong in America

Ashong is the 131379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ashong surname appeared 129 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 Ashong.

The history of the last name Ashong

The surname ASHONG is believed to have originated in Ghana, West Africa, during the early 18th century. It is derived from the Akan language and is a combination of the words "ason" meaning "hawk" and "ng" which is a possessive particle, essentially translating to "the hawk's".

The ASHONG name was initially found in the coastal regions of Ghana, particularly in the area around Cape Coast, which was a major trading hub during the transatlantic slave trade era. It is possible that the name was adopted by some of the enslaved Africans who were transported to the Americas and the Caribbean.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the ASHONG surname can be found in the diary of a British merchant who visited the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in the late 1700s. He documented interactions with local traders and chiefs, including an individual named Kwesi ASHONG.

In the 19th century, several ASHONG families were documented in various parts of Ghana, including the Ashanti region. Notable individuals from this time period include Nana Akua ASHONG (1820-1892), a celebrated potter and ceramist from the village of Ntereso.

As the African diaspora spread across the globe, the ASHONG name also found its way to other parts of the world. In the Caribbean, there are records of an Afro-Caribbean man named Joseph ASHONG (1845-1912) who was a respected community leader in Jamaica.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the ASHONG surname was Kwame ASHONG (1876-1948), a Ghanaian-born activist and writer who settled in New York City and advocated for Pan-African unity.

Another notable figure was Efua ASHONG (1904-1985), a Ghanaian playwright, novelist, and educator who played a significant role in the development of Ghanaian literature and drama.

Lastly, in more recent times, Kwadwo ASHONG (1944-2018) was a prominent Ghanaian politician and diplomat who served as the country's Minister of Trade and Industry in the 1990s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ashong

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

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 Ashong 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.

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

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

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