Find out how popular the last name Tawiah is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tawiah.

Tawiah, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tawiah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tawiah in America

Tawiah is the 73215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tawiah surname appeared 265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tawiah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tawiah to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tawiah

The surname Tawiah originates from the Akan people of Ghana, West Africa. It is believed to have originated in the 17th century or earlier, deriving from the Akan word "tawia" which means "twin" or "one of twins".

Historically, the Akan people were known for their rich cultural traditions, including the naming practices that often reflected the circumstances or events surrounding a child's birth. Twins held a special significance in Akan culture, and names like Tawiah were likely bestowed upon one of the twins.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Tawiah can be traced back to the Ashanti Kingdom, a powerful Akan empire that existed in present-day Ghana from the late 17th to the late 19th century. During this period, the name appeared in various oral histories and records kept by the Ashanti people.

In the 19th century, the name Tawiah gained wider recognition beyond the Akan people when it was documented by European explorers and missionaries who traveled to the region. One notable example is the work of British explorer and writer Robert Graves, who mentioned the name in his 1898 book "A Tour Along the Prah".

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Tawiah. One of the earliest was Nana Tawiah Akroma (c. 1820-1884), a prominent chief of the Ashanti Kingdom who played a significant role in the Anglo-Ashanti Wars against the British Empire.

Another notable figure was Kwasi Tawiah (1884-1962), a Ghanaian educator and pioneer in the field of African literature. He was one of the first Ghanaian authors to have his works published in English and was instrumental in promoting indigenous African writing.

In the 20th century, Ghanaian politician and diplomat Tawiah Adamafio (1923-2000) made a mark on the international stage. He served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1962 to 1975 and played a pivotal role in promoting economic development and cooperation across the African continent.

More recently, Ghanaian artist and sculptor Kofi Tawiah (born 1951) has gained recognition for his intricate wood carvings and sculptures that depict various aspects of Akan culture and traditions.

Tawiah Adjapong (born 1977) is a Ghanaian-American scientist and engineer who has made significant contributions to the field of aerospace engineering, working on projects for NASA and the private space industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tawiah

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tawiah.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tawiah was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tawiah has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tawiah was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tawiah, please contact us.

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