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

Cofie, 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 Cofie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cofie in America

Cofie is the 111988th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cofie surname appeared 157 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 Cofie.

The history of the last name Cofie

The surname COFIE has its origins in Ghana, West Africa. It is derived from the Akan word "kofi" which means "born on Friday." The name likely originated in the 17th century or earlier as a day-name given to children born on Fridays.

COFIE was a common surname among the Akan people, particularly the Fante and Asante ethnic groups. It is found in historical records from the British colonial era in the Gold Coast region, which later became modern-day Ghana.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the COFIE surname can be found in the journal of William Bosman, a Dutch traveler who visited the Gold Coast in the late 17th century. He mentioned an Akan chief named Cofie Amba who ruled over the coastal town of Amba (now called Ningo) in the 1680s.

In the 19th century, a prominent Fante merchant and landowner named John Cofie played a significant role in the development of Cape Coast, a major trading center in the Gold Coast. He was born in 1820 and lived until 1892.

Another notable figure bearing the COFIE surname was Kwame Cofie, a Ghanaian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations from 1957 to 1962. He was born in 1908 and died in 1987.

Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was also born in Ghana with the given name Kofi, which is related to the COFIE surname. He was born in 1938 and passed away in 2018.

In more recent times, Kwadwo Cofie, a Ghanaian footballer who played for various clubs in Europe, including Genoa and Chievo Verona in Italy, carried the COFIE surname. He was born in 1992 and is still active in his career.

While the COFIE surname has its roots in Ghana, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. Individuals with this surname can be found in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cofie

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

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

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

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