2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Okine
A surname of Ghanaian origin referring to a member of the Akan people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 354 Americans carry the last name Okine. That puts it at #68,578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 968,233 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Okine 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 Okine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
354
1 in 968,233
Census rank
#68,578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
309
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 309 bearers of the surname Okine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Okine, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Okine
The surname OKINE originated in the West African country of Ghana. It can be traced back to the late 17th century and is believed to be derived from the Akan language spoken by several ethnic groups in Ghana and parts of Ivory Coast. The name may have roots in the Akan word "okin," which means "fist" or "strength."
OKINE was initially more common among the Fante people, an Akan subgroup concentrated in the coastal regions of Ghana. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in colonial records from the British Gold Coast settlements, such as Fort William and Cape Coast Castle.
In the 19th century, OKINE appears in several historical documents related to the Fante Confederation, a coalition of Fante states that resisted British colonial expansion. Notable figures with the surname include Kwaku OKINE, a military leader who led Fante forces against the British in the late 1820s.
As the Fante people migrated and settled in other parts of Ghana, the surname OKINE spread to other regions. By the early 20th century, it had become more widely adopted among other Akan subgroups, such as the Asante and Akyem.
One of the most famous individuals with the OKINE surname was Kofi Abrefa OKINE, a renowned Ghanaian musician and composer who lived from 1901 to 1982. He was instrumental in popularizing traditional Ghanaian highlife music and is considered a national cultural icon.
Other notable OKINE figures include Joseph OKINE (1922-1987), a Ghanaian politician who served as a member of parliament and cabinet minister, and Gladys OKINE (1931-2012), a pioneering Ghanaian educator and advocate for women's rights.
While the OKINE surname has its roots in Ghana, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. Individuals with this surname can now be found in countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Okine
Among Census respondents with the surname Okine, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Okine 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 Okine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.2% · 285
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 9
- Two or more races2.3% · 7
- White1.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Okine
Okine 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
#101,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 178
+70 bearers (+64.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 40,541 places
2020
#68,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 309
+131 bearers (+73.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 32,669 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #101,247 | 178 | 0.06 | +70 bearers (+64.8%) | Up 40,541 places |
| 2020 | #68,578 | 309 | 0.10 | +131 bearers (+73.6%) | Up 32,669 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 Okine 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 | #101,247 | #68,578 | 32.3% |
| Count | 178 | 309 | 73.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.10 | 72.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Okine bearers went from 178 to 309 (+73.6% change). The surname moved up 32,669 positions in the national ranking, going from #101,247 to #68,578.
FAQ
Okine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Okine?
Name Census estimates that about 354 living Americans carry the surname Okine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 968,233 residents.
How common is Okine?
Okine ranks #68,578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 309 people with the surname Okine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Okine.
Has Okine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Okine went from 178 recorded bearers to 309. That is an increase of 131 (+73.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #101,247 to #68,578.
What does the Census say about the background of Okine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Okine, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Okine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (285 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Okine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Okine (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 Okine mean?
A surname of Ghanaian origin referring to a member of the Akan people. 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 Okine (0.10 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 have the surname Okine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.