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

Nwoko, 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 Nwoko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nwoko in America

Nwoko is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nwoko surname appeared 194 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 Nwoko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nwoko 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.

The history of the last name Nwoko

The surname Nwoko originates from the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It likely emerged sometime in the late 15th or early 16th century during the height of the Nri Kingdom, a powerful Igbo civilization centered around the town of Nri.

Nwoko is believed to be derived from the Igbo words "nwa" meaning child, and "oko" meaning farm or plantation. Thus, the name may have originally referred to a child of a farmer or someone involved in agricultural work. Variations of the spelling include Nwaka, Nwakoh, and Nwakwo.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a local chronicle from the late 17th century, which mentions a man named Nwoko Okafar who was a respected elder and landowner in the village of Nnobi. Another early reference comes from a British colonial record from the 1820s, which lists a trader named Nwoko Ezediora who operated along the Niger River.

In the 19th century, a prominent Nwoko was Chief Nwoko Okadigbo, who served as a respected advisor and diplomat to the Eze Nri, the traditional ruler of the Nri Kingdom. He was instrumental in negotiating peaceful relations between the Nri and the British colonial authorities.

During the early 20th century, a notable figure was Dr. Nwoko Onyedibia, one of the first Igbo medical doctors trained in Western medicine. He was born in 1892 and operated a successful medical practice in the town of Onitsha, treating both colonial officials and local residents.

Another significant individual was Nwoko Nnadi, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1915 to 2003. He was deeply involved in promoting education and community development initiatives in his hometown of Enugu.

In more recent times, a famous bearer of the name is the architect Nwoko Nwosu, born in 1932, who has designed several iconic buildings and landmarks across Nigeria, including the National Arts Theatre in Lagos.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nwoko

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

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 Nwoko was:

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

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

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

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