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

Gyasi, 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 Gyasi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gyasi in America

Gyasi is the 85659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gyasi surname appeared 218 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 Gyasi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gyasi 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 Gyasi

The surname Gyasi is believed to have originated from the Akan people of West Africa, particularly Ghana. The name can be traced back to the 15th century when Ghana was known as the Gold Coast.

Gyasi is derived from the Akan word "gyase," which means "great" or "wealthy." It was likely initially given as a descriptive name to families or individuals who had achieved significant wealth or status within their communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gyasi can be found in a set of oral traditions and folk tales from the Ashanti Kingdom, which was a prominent empire in what is now modern-day Ghana. These stories, passed down through generations, often featured characters with the name Gyasi, reflecting the cultural importance and recognition of the name within Akan society.

In the 18th century, a prominent Akan chief named Gyasi Kwame led a successful uprising against the Ashanti Empire, further solidifying the name's association with leadership and power.

Another notable figure with the surname Gyasi was Efua Theodora Gyasi, a Ghanaian writer, and playwright who played a significant role in the development of Ghanaian literature. She was born in 1908 and is recognized for her contributions to the preservation of Akan folklore and oral traditions.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Ghana (then the Gold Coast) experienced increased interaction with European powers, the surname Gyasi began to appear in written records and documents, reflecting the adoption of Western naming conventions.

In more recent times, the author Yaa Gyasi, born in 1989, has gained international recognition for her debut novel "Homegoing," which explores the generational impacts of the transatlantic slave trade on two half-sisters and their descendants.

Overall, the surname Gyasi has a rich cultural heritage rooted in the traditions and history of the Akan people of Ghana. Its origins can be traced back centuries, reflecting the name's association with wealth, power, and leadership within Akan society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gyasi

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gyasi, 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!