2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Onyejekwe
An Igbo name meaning "the truth is bigger than wealth or affluence".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Onyejekwe. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Onyejekwe 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Onyejekwe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Onyejekwe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Onyejekwe
The surname ONYEJEKWE is of Nigerian origin, specifically from the Igbo ethnic group. It is a combination of two words in the Igbo language: "Onye" meaning "person" and "Jekwe" meaning "to share or divide."
The name likely originated in the pre-colonial era when Igbo communities were organized around extended family compounds and shared resources. ONYEJEKWE may have been a title given to someone who played a prominent role in distributing or allocating resources within the community.
While there are no known historical records or manuscripts that mention the name ONYEJEKWE from ancient times, it is a name deeply rooted in Igbo culture and tradition. The earliest known bearers of this name were likely members of influential Igbo families or clans in the 17th or 18th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname ONYEJEKWE was Nnamdi ONYEJEKWE, a prominent Igbo trader and merchant who lived in the late 19th century. He was known for his extensive trading networks across West Africa and his involvement in the palm oil trade.
Another notable bearer of the name was Chinua ONYEJEKWE, a renowned Igbo writer and playwright born in 1920. His works explored themes of cultural identity, colonialism, and the struggle for independence in Nigeria. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential African writers of the 20th century.
In the realm of academia, Nwando ONYEJEKWE was a pioneering scholar and professor of Igbo language and literature. Born in 1935, she dedicated her career to preserving and promoting Igbo cultural heritage through her research and teaching.
In the field of law, Chukwuma ONYEJEKWE was a prominent Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist. Born in 1948, he played a significant role in advocating for civil liberties and democratic reforms in Nigeria during the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s.
Lastly, Chinedu ONYEJEKWE was a celebrated Igbo musician and composer, born in 1960. His music blended traditional Igbo rhythms and melodies with contemporary styles, contributing to the preservation and promotion of Igbo musical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Onyejekwe
Among Census respondents with the surname Onyejekwe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Onyejekwe 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 Onyejekwe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- White0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Onyejekwe
Onyejekwe 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 9,150 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 Onyejekwe 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 | #154,907 | #145,757 | 5.9% |
| Count | 105 | 115 | 9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Onyejekwe bearers went from 105 to 115 (+9.5% change). The surname moved up 9,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,757.
FAQ
Onyejekwe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Onyejekwe?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Onyejekwe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Onyejekwe?
Onyejekwe ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Onyejekwe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Onyejekwe.
Has Onyejekwe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Onyejekwe went from 105 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 10 (+9.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Onyejekwe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Onyejekwe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Onyejekwe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Onyejekwe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Onyejekwe (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 Onyejekwe mean?
An Igbo name meaning "the truth is bigger than wealth or affluence". 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 Onyejekwe (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 common is the surname Onyejekwe?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Onyejekwe, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.