2000
#13,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Mensah
A surname of Akan origin indicating the third-born child of a family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,253 Americans carry the last name Mensah. That puts it at #5,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mensah 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 Mensah with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 47,257
Census rank
#5,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,325 bearers of the surname Mensah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mensah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mensah
The surname Mensah originates from Ghana in West Africa. It is an Akan name derived from the word 'mensah' which means 'one who was born on Saturday'. The name has been in use among the Akan people for centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mensah can be found in oral traditions and historical accounts from the Akan kingdoms of modern-day Ghana, particularly the Ashanti Empire. These accounts date back to the 17th and 18th centuries when the Ashanti Empire was at its peak.
One notable historical figure with the surname Mensah was Nana Mensah Bonsu, a prominent chief and military leader from the Ashanti Empire in the late 18th century. He played a key role in the expansion of the empire and the defense against British colonial forces.
Another famous bearer of the name was Kofi Mensah Bonsu, a renowned Ghanaian historian and linguist who lived from 1892 to 1978. He made significant contributions to the study and preservation of Akan languages and culture.
In the 20th century, Kwame Mensah was a celebrated Ghanaian highlife musician and composer who helped popularize the genre both in Ghana and internationally. He was active in the 1950s and 1960s.
A more recent figure with the surname Mensah is Mensah Ayittey, a prominent Ghanaian politician and economist who served as the Minister of Finance from 1969 to 1971.
The name Mensah has also been associated with various place names in Ghana, particularly in the Ashanti Region, where it has historical roots. Some of these place names include Mensah Dawa, Mensah Krom, and Mensah Nkwanta.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mensah
Among Census respondents with the surname Mensah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mensah 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 Mensah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.7% · 5,924
- Two or more races2.7% · 168
- White2.2% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mensah
Mensah 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
#7,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,209
+2,056 bearers (+95.5%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 5,185 places
2020
#5,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,325
+2,116 bearers (+50.3%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 2,546 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,048 | 2,153 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,863 | 4,209 | 1.43 | +2,056 bearers (+95.5%) | Up 5,185 places |
| 2020 | #5,317 | 6,325 | 2.12 | +2,116 bearers (+50.3%) | Up 2,546 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 Mensah 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 | #7,863 | #5,317 | 32.4% |
| Count | 4,209 | 6,325 | 50.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 2.12 | 48.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mensah bearers went from 4,209 to 6,325 (+50.3% change). The surname moved up 2,546 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,863 to #5,317.
FAQ
Mensah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mensah?
Name Census estimates that about 7,253 living Americans carry the surname Mensah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,257 residents.
How common is Mensah?
Mensah ranks #5,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,325 people with the surname Mensah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mensah.
Has Mensah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mensah went from 4,209 recorded bearers to 6,325. That is an increase of 2,116 (+50.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,863 to #5,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Mensah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mensah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (2.2%). 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 Mensah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (5,924 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mensah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), White (2.2%). 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 Mensah (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 Mensah mean?
A surname of Akan origin indicating the third-born child of a family. 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 Mensah (2.12 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 share the surname Mensah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.