2000
#17,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Boateng
A surname of Ghanaian origin indicating the person is a member of the Akan people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,495 Americans carry the last name Boateng. That puts it at #6,763 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boateng 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 Boateng with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,376
Census rank
#6,763
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,792 bearers of the surname Boateng in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6763rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boateng, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boateng
The surname Boateng originates from the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast in West Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the 17th century or earlier. The name is derived from the Akan words "boa" meaning "stone" and "teng" meaning "to weigh or measure", suggesting a possible connection to an occupation involving the weighing or measurement of stones or other materials.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various historical documents and records from the region, such as local census records and colonial-era registries. One notable example is found in the records of the British Gold Coast colony, where the name appears in reference to individuals from the Akan ethnic group.
In terms of historical figures bearing the surname Boateng, one notable individual was Nana Akyen Boateng, a prominent chief and leader of the Akuapem people in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in the resistance against British colonial expansion in the region.
Another notable figure was Kwasi Boateng, a renowned Akan scholar and linguist who lived in the early 19th century. He contributed greatly to the preservation and documentation of the Akan language and cultural traditions.
In the 20th century, Kwame Boateng, born in 1927, was a respected Ghanaian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to several nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Ayi Kwei Boateng, born in 1907, was a pioneering Ghanaian writer and playwright whose works explored themes of identity, culture, and societal change in the context of colonial and post-colonial Africa.
More recently, Kwadwo Boateng, born in 1962, is a former professional footballer from Ghana who played for several clubs in Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur in England.
The name Boateng has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations within the Akan-speaking regions of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, although the exact origins and meanings of these place names are not always clear.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boateng
Among Census respondents with the surname Boateng, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boateng 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 Boateng surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.8% · 4,545
- Two or more races2.0% · 94
- White1.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boateng
Boateng 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
#10,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,017
+1,582 bearers (+110.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 7,338 places
2020
#6,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,792
+1,775 bearers (+58.8%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 3,851 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,952 | 1,435 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,614 | 3,017 | 1.02 | +1,582 bearers (+110.2%) | Up 7,338 places |
| 2020 | #6,763 | 4,792 | 1.60 | +1,775 bearers (+58.8%) | Up 3,851 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 Boateng 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 | #10,614 | #6,763 | 36.3% |
| Count | 3,017 | 4,792 | 58.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.60 | 57.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boateng bearers went from 3,017 to 4,792 (+58.8% change). The surname moved up 3,851 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,614 to #6,763.
FAQ
Boateng surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boateng?
Name Census estimates that about 5,495 living Americans carry the surname Boateng. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,376 residents.
How common is Boateng?
Boateng ranks #6,763 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,792 people with the surname Boateng. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Boateng.
Has Boateng become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boateng went from 3,017 recorded bearers to 4,792. That is an increase of 1,775 (+58.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,614 to #6,763.
What does the Census say about the background of Boateng?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boateng, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.9%). 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 Boateng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (4,545 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boateng appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.8%), Two or More Races (2.0%), White (1.9%). 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 Boateng (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 Boateng mean?
A surname of Ghanaian origin indicating the person is a member of the Akan people. 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 Boateng (1.60 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 have the surname Boateng?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.