2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Otchere
A surname of Ghanaian origin referring to someone with a leadership or noble role.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 374 Americans carry the last name Otchere. That puts it at #65,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 916,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Otchere 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 Otchere with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
374
1 in 916,455
Census rank
#65,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
326
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 326 bearers of the surname Otchere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Otchere, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Otchere
The surname Otchere is believed to have originated in Ghana, West Africa. It is a name with roots in the Akan language spoken by the Akans, a meta-ethnicity comprised of several ethnic groups, including the Asante, Fante, and Bono peoples. The name Otchere is thought to derive from the Akan words "ɔtchɛ" meaning "truthful" and "ɔbarima" meaning "man," implying a truthful or honest man.
The earliest recorded instances of the Otchere surname can be traced back to the 17th century in the Akuapem region of present-day Eastern Region of Ghana. During this period, the name appeared in some local records and oral traditions, although specific written documents from that era are scarce.
In the 19th century, the Otchere name gained prominence in the Akuapem and Akyem areas, particularly in the towns of Akropong and Kyebi. Several notable individuals bearing the Otchere surname emerged during this time, including Nana Addo Otchere I (c. 1810-1885), a prominent chief and leader of the Akuapem people, and Nana Akwasi Otchere II (c. 1845-1920), a respected chief and advisor to the Asantehene (King of the Asante).
One of the earliest records of the Otchere surname outside of Ghana can be found in the archives of the Church Missionary Society, which documented the baptism of a man named Kwasi Otchere in Cape Coast, Ghana, in the late 18th century.
In the 20th century, several prominent figures carried the Otchere surname, including Nana Addo Otchere III (1919-2004), a respected chief and philanthropist in Akropong, and Dr. Kwasi Otchere (1925-2010), a renowned Ghanaian academic and historian who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
Other notable individuals with the Otchere surname include Kwasi Otchere-Darko (born 1961), a Ghanaian politician and businessman; Bright Kwesi Otchere (born 1976), a Ghanaian journalist and media personality; and Gifty Otchere (born 1983), a Ghanaian-British entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Otchere
Among Census respondents with the surname Otchere, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Otchere 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 Otchere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.6% · 305
- White2.5% · 8
- Two or more races1.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Otchere
Otchere 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
#78,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
+122 bearers (+100.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 51,052 places
2020
#65,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
+83 bearers (+34.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 12,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78,567 | 243 | 0.08 | +122 bearers (+100.8%) | Up 51,052 places |
| 2020 | #65,688 | 326 | 0.11 | +83 bearers (+34.2%) | Up 12,879 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 Otchere 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 | #78,567 | #65,688 | 16.4% |
| Count | 243 | 326 | 34.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.11 | 36.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Otchere bearers went from 243 to 326 (+34.2% change). The surname moved up 12,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #78,567 to #65,688.
FAQ
Otchere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Otchere?
Name Census estimates that about 374 living Americans carry the surname Otchere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 916,455 residents.
How common is Otchere?
Otchere ranks #65,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 326 people with the surname Otchere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Otchere.
Has Otchere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Otchere went from 243 recorded bearers to 326. That is an increase of 83 (+34.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #78,567 to #65,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Otchere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Otchere, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Otchere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (305 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Otchere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (93.6%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Otchere (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 Otchere mean?
A surname of Ghanaian origin referring to someone with a leadership or noble role. 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 Otchere (0.11 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 Otchere?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.