Nkwocha last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Nkwocha

An Igbo surname meaning "mother's wealth."

Nkwocha, 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 Nkwocha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nkwocha in America

Nkwocha is the 90113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nkwocha surname appeared 205 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 Nkwocha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nkwocha 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 90113 134037 -39.19%
Count 205 116 55.45%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.04 54.55%

The history of the last name Nkwocha

The surname Nkwocha originated from the Igbo ethnic group in southeastern Nigeria. It is believed to have derived from the Igbo words "nkwo" meaning "cloth" and "cha" meaning "to spread or display." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the trade or production of cloth.

In the pre-colonial era, the Nkwocha name was prominent among the Igbo communities in the present-day states of Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi. It is likely that the name appeared in oral histories and storytelling traditions long before written records were kept.

The earliest known written reference to the Nkwocha name dates back to the late 19th century, when European missionaries and colonial administrators began documenting the names and cultures of various Nigerian ethnic groups. Some early examples of individuals with the Nkwocha surname include Okorie Nkwocha, a notable trader and community leader in the town of Awka, who lived in the late 1800s, and Nnamdi Nkwocha, a renowned sculptor and woodcarver from Onitsha, active in the early 20th century.

During the colonial period, the spelling of the name may have been influenced by the phonetic interpretations of British officials, leading to variations such as Nkwoka or Nkwokah. However, the standardized spelling of Nkwocha became more widely accepted in the latter half of the 20th century.

Notable individuals with the Nkwocha surname throughout history include:

  1. Chukwuma Nkwocha (1920-1985), a prominent Nigerian politician and member of the Eastern Nigerian House of Chiefs.
  2. Nnenna Nkwocha (1938-2010), a renowned Igbo novelist and playwright, known for her work in promoting Igbo language and culture.
  3. Ike Nkwocha (1942-2007), a Nigerian academic and economist who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
  4. Chioma Nkwocha (born 1972), a Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist, recognized for her work in advancing women's rights and gender equality.
  5. Emeka Nkwocha (born 1978), a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who played in the NBA and several European leagues.

While the Nkwocha name has a rich history rooted in the Igbo culture of southeastern Nigeria, it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond, as a result of migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nkwocha

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

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 Nkwocha was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Black Only 95.12% 195
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.93% 6
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Nkwocha has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White (S)% 4.31% (S)%
Black 95.12% 85.34% 10.84%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.93% 10.34% -111.68%
Hispanic (S)% 0.00% (S)%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nkwocha, please contact us.

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"Nkwocha last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/nkwocha-surname-popularity/.

"Nkwocha last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/nkwocha-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Nkwocha last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/nkwocha-surname-popularity/.

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