2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kofi
A surname of Akan origin meaning "born on Friday".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Kofi. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kofi 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 Kofi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Kofi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kofi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kofi
The surname Kofi is of Ghanaian origin, specifically from the Akan people of Ghana. The name is believed to have originated in the late 15th century or early 16th century, during the time of the Ashanti Empire in modern-day Ghana.
Kofi is derived from the Akan word "kƆfrƱ," which means "born on Friday." In Akan culture, it was common practice to give a child a name based on the day of the week they were born, with Kofi being the name for boys born on Friday.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kofi can be found in historical records and documents from the Ashanti Empire and surrounding regions. However, due to the oral tradition prevalent in West African cultures at the time, written records of the name's usage may be limited.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Kofi was Kofi Kakari, a famous Ashanti warrior and military leader who lived in the late 17th century. He is renowned for his bravery and leadership during conflicts with neighboring kingdoms.
Another notable figure was Kofi Amoah, a prominent Ghanaian merchant and trader who lived in the 18th century. He played a crucial role in the trade between the Ashanti Empire and European traders along the coast of Ghana.
In the 19th century, Kofi Badu was a respected chief and diplomat from the Ashanti region. He was instrumental in negotiating treaties and maintaining peaceful relations between the Ashanti Empire and the British colonial authorities.
During the 20th century, Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006), brought international recognition to the name. He was born in 1938 and passed away in 2018.
Another notable figure was Kofi Abrefa Busia, a Ghanaian scholar, philosopher, and prime minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972. He was born in 1913 and died in 1978.
While the surname Kofi has its roots in Ghana and the Akan people, it has since spread to other parts of West Africa and beyond, carried by individuals of Ghanaian descent or those with connections to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kofi
Among Census respondents with the surname Kofi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kofi 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 Kofi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.6% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- White2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kofi
Kofi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Kofi 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kofi bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Kofi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kofi?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Kofi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Kofi?
Kofi ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Kofi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kofi.
Has Kofi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kofi went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Kofi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kofi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Kofi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kofi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Kofi (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 Kofi mean?
A surname of Akan origin meaning "born on Friday". 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 Kofi (0.04 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 Kofi?
If you just want to know how many people are called Kofi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.