2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tagoe
A surname indicating the person's ancestral origins in the town of Tago, likely in Ghana or a neighboring region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 399 Americans carry the last name Tagoe. That puts it at #62,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 859,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tagoe 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 Tagoe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
399
1 in 859,033
Census rank
#62,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
348
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 348 bearers of the surname Tagoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 62198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tagoe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tagoe
The surname Tagoe originates from the West African nation of Ghana, with records dating back to the late 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Akan language spoken by the Ashanti people, with the root word "tago" meaning "thunder" or "loud sound." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals with a powerful or resonant voice.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Tagoe surname can be found in a collection of historical records from the Ashanti Kingdom, which ruled parts of present-day Ghana from the 17th to the late 19th century. These records mention a notable figure named Kwame Tagoe, who served as a chief advisor to the Ashanti king Osei Tutu in the late 1600s.
In the 19th century, the Tagoe name appeared in several British colonial records from the Gold Coast region, which later became Ghana. These records often listed individuals with the surname working as traders, craftsmen, or interpreters for the colonial authorities.
A prominent bearer of the Tagoe surname was Nana Kodwo Tagoe, a respected chief of the Akwamu people who lived in the early 1800s. He played a pivotal role in negotiating treaties with the British and was known for his diplomatic skills.
Another notable figure was Kwasi Tagoe, born in 1865, who was one of the first Ghanaian lawyers trained in the British legal system. He played a significant role in advocating for the rights of indigenous Ghanaians during the colonial era.
In more recent times, Kwame Tagoe, born in 1920, was a renowned Ghanaian musician and composer who helped popularize traditional Akan music styles, such as highlife and palmwine music.
Other individuals with the Tagoe surname include Akua Tagoe, a celebrated Ghanaian author and playwright born in 1932, and Kofi Tagoe, a renowned Ghanaian sculptor and artist who was active in the mid-20th century.
The Tagoe surname has since spread beyond Ghana, with individuals bearing the name found in other parts of West Africa, as well as in the Caribbean and North America, where many Ghanaian immigrants and their descendants have settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tagoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Tagoe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tagoe 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 Tagoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.4% · 325
- White2.3% · 8
- Two or more races2.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tagoe
Tagoe 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
#87,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
+82 bearers (+62.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 34,445 places
2020
#62,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 348
+135 bearers (+63.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 25,137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,335 | 213 | 0.07 | +82 bearers (+62.6%) | Up 34,445 places |
| 2020 | #62,198 | 348 | 0.12 | +135 bearers (+63.4%) | Up 25,137 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 Tagoe 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 | #87,335 | #62,198 | 28.8% |
| Count | 213 | 348 | 63.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.12 | 66.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tagoe bearers went from 213 to 348 (+63.4% change). The surname moved up 25,137 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,335 to #62,198.
FAQ
Tagoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tagoe?
Name Census estimates that about 399 living Americans carry the surname Tagoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 859,033 residents.
How common is Tagoe?
Tagoe ranks #62,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 348 people with the surname Tagoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (399), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Tagoe.
Has Tagoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tagoe went from 213 recorded bearers to 348. That is an increase of 135 (+63.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #87,335 to #62,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Tagoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tagoe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Tagoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tagoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (93.4%), White (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Tagoe (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 Tagoe mean?
A surname indicating the person's ancestral origins in the town of Tago, likely in Ghana or a neighboring region. 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 Tagoe (0.12 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 Tagoe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.