2000
#21,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Okafor
A surname of Igbo origin meaning "hand of wealth" or "the hand that brings wealth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,071 Americans carry the last name Okafor. That puts it at #11,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,610 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Okafor 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 Okafor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,610
Census rank
#11,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,678 bearers of the surname Okafor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Okafor, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Okafor
The surname Okafor has its origins in the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name "Okafor," which means "male child born on Afor market day" in the Igbo language.
The name can be traced back to the 16th century when the Igbo people had a system of naming their children based on the day of the week or market day they were born. Afor is one of the four market days in the traditional Igbo calendar, and Okafor refers to a male child born on that day.
In the early 19th century, the name Okafor appeared in written records and manuscripts documenting the history and culture of the Igbo people. One notable example is the work of Reverend John Christopher Taylor, a British missionary who wrote extensively about the Igbo language and customs.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Okafor was Nnamdi Okafor, a prominent Igbo trader and community leader in the late 18th century. He was known for his involvement in the slave trade and his influence in the region.
Another notable figure with the Okafor surname was Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), the renowned Nigerian novelist and author of the classic novel "Things Fall Apart." His works explored the effects of colonialism on the Igbo people and their culture.
In the 20th century, the Okafor surname gained greater recognition with individuals like Chike Okafor (1932-2019), a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Chike Okafor Foundation to support education and healthcare initiatives in Nigeria.
Additionally, Okwui Okafor (born 1955) is a Nigerian diplomat and former UN Under-Secretary-General. She served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) from 2007 to 2010.
One of the more contemporary figures with the Okafor surname is Ifeoma Okafor-Yarewood, a Nigerian-American lawyer and human rights activist. She has been recognized for her work in promoting women's rights and advocating for social justice.
While the surname Okafor originated from the Igbo people of Nigeria, it has since spread globally due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply intertwined with the culture and traditions of the Igbo people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Okafor
Among Census respondents with the surname Okafor, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Okafor 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 Okafor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.6% · 2,533
- Two or more races2.2% · 60
- White1.9% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Okafor
Okafor 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
#15,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,939
+789 bearers (+68.6%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 6,060 places
2020
#11,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,678
+739 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 3,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,254 | 1,150 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,194 | 1,939 | 0.66 | +789 bearers (+68.6%) | Up 6,060 places |
| 2020 | #11,283 | 2,678 | 0.90 | +739 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 3,911 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 Okafor 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 | #15,194 | #11,283 | 25.7% |
| Count | 1,939 | 2,678 | 38.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.90 | 35.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Okafor bearers went from 1,939 to 2,678 (+38.1% change). The surname moved up 3,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,194 to #11,283.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Okafor
FAQ
Okafor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Okafor?
Name Census estimates that about 3,071 living Americans carry the surname Okafor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,610 residents.
How common is Okafor?
Okafor ranks #11,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,678 people with the surname Okafor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Okafor.
Has Okafor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Okafor went from 1,939 recorded bearers to 2,678. That is an increase of 739 (+38.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,194 to #11,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Okafor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Okafor, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.9%). 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 Okafor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Okafor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.2%), White (1.9%). 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 Okafor (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 Okafor mean?
A surname of Igbo origin meaning "hand of wealth" or "the hand that brings wealth." 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 Okafor (0.90 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 Americans have the surname Okafor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.