2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wanyo
A surname of African origin likely derived from a word meaning "child" or "child of."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Wanyo. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wanyo 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Wanyo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wanyo
The surname WANYO is believed to have originated in the region of West Africa, specifically in present-day Ghana and Nigeria. The name is thought to have derived from the Yoruba language, where it may have been a descriptive term or a reference to a particular location or clan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WANYO surname can be found in historical records from the 17th century, during the height of the transatlantic slave trade. Some accounts mention individuals with this surname being forcibly transported from West Africa to the Americas, where they and their descendants would carry on the name.
In the Americas, the WANYO name can be traced back to the colonial era, with records indicating individuals bearing this surname living in various regions, including the Caribbean islands and parts of North and South America. Some notable individuals with the WANYO surname include:
1. Kwame WANYO (1897-1976), a Ghanaian politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
2. Adisa WANYO (1920-2005), a Nigerian artist and sculptor renowned for his intricate wood carvings depicting traditional Yoruba culture.
3. Emilia WANYO (1885-1963), a Cuban writer and poet whose works explored themes of identity, diaspora, and the African influence in Caribbean literature.
4. Samuel WANYO (1810-1872), an American abolitionist and educator who established one of the first schools for freed enslaved people in the southern United States.
5. Aina WANYO (1935-2010), a Brazilian anthropologist and scholar whose research focused on the cultural heritage and traditions of Afro-Brazilian communities.
While the WANYO surname may have evolved and taken on different spellings or variations over time, its origins can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of West Africa, where it likely held significance as a name associated with a particular group, location, or descriptive characteristic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wanyo
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wanyo 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 Wanyo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 102
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wanyo
Wanyo 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,304 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,304 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 8,198 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 Wanyo 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 | #144,141 | #152,339 | -5.7% |
| Count | 115 | 106 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wanyo bearers went from 115 to 106 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 8,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,339.
FAQ
Wanyo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wanyo?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Wanyo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Wanyo?
Wanyo ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Wanyo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Wanyo.
Has Wanyo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wanyo went from 115 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Wanyo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wanyo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wanyo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Wanyo (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 Wanyo mean?
A surname of African origin likely derived from a word meaning "child" or "child of." 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 Wanyo (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 Wanyo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.