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

Ohene, 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 Ohene surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ohene in America

Ohene is the 144141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ohene surname appeared 115 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 Ohene.

The history of the last name Ohene

The surname Ohene is of Ghanaian origin and can be traced back to the Akan people of present-day Ghana. It is derived from the Akan word 'Ohene', which translates to 'king' or 'ruler'. The name likely originated among the royal families and nobility of the Akan kingdoms that flourished in the region during the 15th to 19th centuries.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Ohene can be found in historical documents and records from the Ashanti Empire, one of the most powerful Akan kingdoms of the time. Some notable mentions include Otumfuo Osei Tutu I (c. 1660-1717), the founder of the Ashanti Empire, and his successor, Opoku Ware I (c. 1700-1750), both of whom bore the title 'Ohene' as the rulers of the Ashanti people.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Ohene surname also appeared in records from the British colonial administration in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). One notable figure from this period was Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford (1866-1930), a writer, educator, and political activist who was instrumental in the early nationalist movement in the Gold Coast.

Another prominent individual with the surname Ohene was Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), the first Prime Minister and President of independent Ghana. He was born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma and later adopted the name Kwame Nkrumah, which means 'Born on Saturday' in the Akan language.

In more recent times, the Ohene surname has been associated with several accomplished individuals, including Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh (1946-2020), a Ghanaian diplomat and former United Nations official, and Amma Asante (born 1969), a British filmmaker and director of Ghanaian descent, known for her works exploring themes of race, identity, and culture.

It is important to note that while the Ohene surname has its roots in the Akan kingdoms of Ghana, it has since spread beyond the country's borders and can be found among people of Ghanaian descent in various parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ohene

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

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 Ohene 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.

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

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

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