2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gyasi
A Ghanaian surname meaning "wonderful child" or "great child".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 439 Americans carry the last name Gyasi. That puts it at #57,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 780,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gyasi 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 Gyasi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
439
1 in 780,762
Census rank
#57,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
383
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 383 bearers of the surname Gyasi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gyasi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gyasi
Among Census respondents with the surname Gyasi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gyasi 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 Gyasi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.6% · 351
- White3.7% · 14
- Two or more races2.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gyasi
Gyasi 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
+76 bearers (+53.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 28,507 places
2020
#57,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 383
+165 bearers (+75.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 28,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | +76 bearers (+53.5%) | Up 28,507 places |
| 2020 | #57,414 | 383 | 0.13 | +165 bearers (+75.7%) | Up 28,245 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 Gyasi 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 | #85,659 | #57,414 | 33.0% |
| Count | 218 | 383 | 75.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.13 | 83.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gyasi bearers went from 218 to 383 (+75.7% change). The surname moved up 28,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #57,414.
FAQ
Gyasi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gyasi?
Name Census estimates that about 439 living Americans carry the surname Gyasi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 780,762 residents.
How common is Gyasi?
Gyasi ranks #57,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 383 people with the surname Gyasi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gyasi.
Has Gyasi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gyasi went from 218 recorded bearers to 383. That is an increase of 165 (+75.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #85,659 to #57,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Gyasi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gyasi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gyasi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gyasi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.6%), White (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gyasi (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 Gyasi mean?
A Ghanaian surname meaning "wonderful child" or "great child". 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 Gyasi (0.13 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 are called Gyasi?
You can see how common the surname Gyasi is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.