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

Dankwah, 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 Dankwah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dankwah in America

Dankwah is the 154907th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dankwah surname appeared 105 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 Dankwah.

The history of the last name Dankwah

The surname Dankwah originates from Ghana, West Africa, and is believed to have emerged during the 16th century. It is a combination of two Akan words, "dan" meaning sweet, and "kwa" meaning left-over or remnant. The name is thought to have originated from the Akan people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Ghana.

The earliest known record of the name Dankwah can be traced back to the 17th century, when it appeared in a historical manuscript documenting the lineage of the Akan chiefs and elders. The name was prominently associated with the Asante Kingdom, one of the powerful West African empires that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Dankwah was Nana Dankwah I, a powerful Asante chief who ruled in the late 18th century. He was renowned for his military prowess and led the Asante forces in several battles against neighboring kingdoms.

Another prominent individual with the name Dankwah was Joseph Kwame Dankwah, a Ghanaian politician and nationalist who played a significant role in Ghana's independence movement in the mid-20th century. He was born in 1913 and served as the leader of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) party.

In the late 20th century, Kofi Atta Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, carried the Dankwah surname as his middle name. He was born in 1938 and served as the UN Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006, playing a crucial role in international diplomacy and peace efforts.

The name Dankwah has also been associated with several prominent Ghanaian academics and scholars. One such individual was Ama Ata Aidoo, a renowned Ghanaian writer and academic who was born in 1942. Her works, including novels and plays, explored themes of feminism, social commentary, and cultural identity.

Another notable figure with the Dankwah surname was Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and a prominent pan-Africanist leader. Although his surname was Nkrumah, his middle name Dankwah was a tribute to his mother's family lineage.

The surname Dankwah continues to be widely used in Ghana and among the Ghanaian diaspora communities around the world, carrying a rich cultural heritage and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dankwah

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!