2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nwokorie
An Igbo surname meaning child begotten in old age or after many years.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 154 Americans carry the last name Nwokorie. That puts it at #131,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,225,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nwokorie 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.
Bearers in the US
154
1 in 2,225,678
Census rank
#131,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
134
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 134 bearers of the surname Nwokorie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 131805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nwokorie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nwokorie
The surname NWOKORIE originated from the Igbo ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. It is derived from the Igbo words "nwokọ" meaning "male child" and "rie" meaning "to share or distribute". The name likely emerged during the 15th or 16th century when the Igbo culture and language were flourishing.
NWOKORIE was initially concentrated in the regions of Anambra, Enugu, Imo, and Abia states, where the Igbo people are predominantly found. Early spellings of the name included Nwokori, Nwokoru, and Nwokore, reflecting the various Igbo dialects and pronunciation styles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NWOKORIE can be found in the writings of British explorer and missionary John Trotter Wood, who documented his travels in the region during the late 19th century. Wood's journals mention several encounters with individuals bearing the surname NWOKORIE.
Notable individuals with the surname NWOKORIE include:
1. Nnamdi NWOKORIE (1910-1982), a prominent Nigerian politician and member of the Eastern House of Assembly during the colonial era.
2. Chinua NWOKORIE (1927-1996), a renowned Igbo writer and academic, best known for his novel "Things Fall Apart" which explored the clash between traditional Igbo culture and Western colonialism.
3. Adaeze NWOKORIE (1941-2015), a pioneering Nigerian actress and playwright who helped establish the modern Nollywood film industry.
4. Chukwuemeka NWOKORIE (1959-present), a celebrated Nigerian artist and sculptor, whose works have been exhibited globally and are housed in various museums and private collections.
5. Nnenna NWOKORIE (1978-present), a renowned Nigerian fashion designer and entrepreneur, recognized for her innovative use of traditional Igbo textiles and patterns in contemporary designs.
While the NWOKORIE surname may have originated from a specific region, it has since spread throughout Nigeria and beyond, carried by individuals and families as they migrated and established new roots. The name continues to hold cultural significance and serves as a link to the rich Igbo heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nwokorie
Among Census respondents with the surname Nwokorie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nwokorie 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 Nwokorie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American98.5% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nwokorie
Nwokorie 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
#131,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+26 bearers (+24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 19,727 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #131,805 | 134 | 0.04 | +26 bearers (+24.1%) | Up 19,727 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 Nwokorie 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 | #151,532 | #131,805 | 13.0% |
| Count | 108 | 134 | 24.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nwokorie bearers went from 108 to 134 (+24.1% change). The surname moved up 19,727 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #131,805.
FAQ
Nwokorie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nwokorie?
Name Census estimates that about 154 living Americans carry the surname Nwokorie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,225,678 residents.
How common is Nwokorie?
Nwokorie ranks #131,805 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 134 people with the surname Nwokorie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (154), 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 Nwokorie.
Has Nwokorie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nwokorie went from 108 recorded bearers to 134. That is an increase of 26 (+24.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #131,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Nwokorie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nwokorie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Nwokorie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nwokorie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (98.5%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Nwokorie (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 Nwokorie mean?
An Igbo surname meaning child begotten in old age or after many years. 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 Nwokorie (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 share the surname Nwokorie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.