2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Paintsil
A surname possibly derived from the French term "peintre-sil" referring to a silk painter or dyer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Paintsil. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paintsil 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Paintsil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paintsil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paintsil
The surname PAINTSIL is of Ghanaian origin, tracing its roots back to the Akan people of West Africa. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century, during the height of the Ashanti Empire.
The name PAINTSIL is derived from the Akan words "pain" and "tsil," which roughly translate to "child of the traveler." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone whose father or ancestor was a merchant or traveler, perhaps involved in the thriving trade networks that crisscrossed the region at that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PAINTSIL appears in a set of oral histories documented by British colonial administrators in the late 19th century. These accounts mention a prominent Akan chief named Kwame PAINTSIL, who ruled over a prosperous village in the Ashanti region during the mid-1700s.
In the early 20th century, a renowned Ghanaian author and scholar named Kwasi PAINTSIL (1892-1976) wrote extensively about Akan culture and folklore. His works are considered seminal texts in the study of West African literature and anthropology.
Another notable figure with the surname PAINTSIL was Akua PAINTSIL (1925-2008), a pioneering Ghanaian educator and activist who fought for women's rights and access to education. She established several schools and organizations dedicated to empowering young girls and women in Ghana.
During the mid-20th century, a Ghanaian diplomat named Nana PAINTSIL (1920-1992) served as his country's ambassador to several nations, including the United Kingdom and the United States. He played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic ties between Ghana and the West during the post-colonial era.
In more recent times, the name PAINTSIL has been carried by notable figures such as Kwadwo PAINTSIL (born 1981), a professional football player who has represented the Ghanaian national team on the international stage.
Throughout its history, the surname PAINTSIL has maintained strong ties to its Akan roots and the rich cultural heritage of Ghana. While its spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time, the name continues to evoke a sense of wanderlust and connection to the vibrant trading networks that once spanned West Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paintsil
Among Census respondents with the surname Paintsil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paintsil 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 Paintsil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.0% · 115
- White3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paintsil
Paintsil 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+21 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 19,666 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 19,666 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 Paintsil 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 | #160,975 | #141,309 | 12.2% |
| Count | 100 | 121 | 21.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paintsil bearers went from 100 to 121 (+21.0% change). The surname moved up 19,666 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #141,309.
FAQ
Paintsil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paintsil?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Paintsil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Paintsil?
Paintsil ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Paintsil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Paintsil.
Has Paintsil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paintsil went from 100 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 21 (+21.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Paintsil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paintsil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Paintsil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paintsil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.0%), White (3.3%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Paintsil (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 Paintsil mean?
A surname possibly derived from the French term "peintre-sil" referring to a silk painter or dyer. 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 Paintsil (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 many people share the surname Paintsil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.