2000
#93,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Laryea
A surname of Ghanaian origin meaning "born on Wednesday".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 594 Americans carry the last name Laryea. That puts it at #44,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 577,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laryea 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 Laryea with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
594
1 in 577,028
Census rank
#44,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
518
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 518 bearers of the surname Laryea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laryea, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laryea
The surname LARYEA originated in Ghana, West Africa, and is believed to have first appeared in the late 17th or early 18th century. It is thought to be derived from the Ga language word "laryea," which means "wanderer" or "traveler." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who frequently traveled or migrated from one place to another.
The name LARYEA is most commonly associated with the Ga people, an ethnic group native to the coastal regions of Ghana, particularly in and around the capital city of Accra. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in some historical documents and records from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, primarily in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname LARYEA was Nii Laryea Ashitey, a prominent Ga chief and leader who lived in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of the Ga people during that time period.
Another notable figure was Samuel Laryea, a Christian missionary and educator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was instrumental in establishing several schools and churches in Ghana and contributed significantly to the spread of Christianity and education among the Ga people.
In the 20th century, Emmanuel Laryea was a prominent Ghanaian lawyer and politician. He served as a member of parliament and held several important government positions, including Minister of Justice and Attorney General, in the 1960s and 1970s.
Moving into the 21st century, Michael Laryea is a contemporary Ghanaian artist and sculptor who has gained international recognition for his intricate and symbolic works of art, which often explore themes of African identity and cultural heritage.
Another notable figure is Ebenezer Laryea, a renowned Ghanaian academic and researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of agriculture and environmental studies. He has authored several books and scientific publications and has been recognized with numerous awards and honors for his work.
While the LARYEA surname is most prevalent in Ghana, it has also been adopted by individuals of Ghanaian descent living in various parts of the world, particularly in other West African countries, as well as in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laryea
Among Census respondents with the surname Laryea, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Laryea 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 Laryea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.7% · 475
- Two or more races3.3% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 13
- White1.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laryea
Laryea 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
#58,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
+169 bearers (+93.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 35,799 places
2020
#44,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 518
+168 bearers (+48.0%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 13,431 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,841 | 181 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,042 | 350 | 0.12 | +169 bearers (+93.4%) | Up 35,799 places |
| 2020 | #44,611 | 518 | 0.17 | +168 bearers (+48.0%) | Up 13,431 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 Laryea 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 | #58,042 | #44,611 | 23.1% |
| Count | 350 | 518 | 48.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.17 | 44.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laryea bearers went from 350 to 518 (+48.0% change). The surname moved up 13,431 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,042 to #44,611.
FAQ
Laryea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laryea?
Name Census estimates that about 594 living Americans carry the surname Laryea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 577,028 residents.
How common is Laryea?
Laryea ranks #44,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 518 people with the surname Laryea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (594), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Laryea.
Has Laryea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laryea went from 350 recorded bearers to 518. That is an increase of 168 (+48.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #58,042 to #44,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Laryea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laryea, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Laryea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laryea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Laryea (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 Laryea mean?
A surname of Ghanaian origin meaning "born on Wednesday". 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 Laryea (0.17 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 have the surname Laryea?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.