Quame
Meaning "born on Saturday" and of African origin.
Name Census estimates that about 64 living Americans carry the first name Quame. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Quame today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quame births was 2001 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quame. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Quame. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
64
~ 1 in 5,355,537 Americans
Peak year
2001
11 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2003 SSA rank
#8,435
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Quame: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quame from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 34 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Quame by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Quame during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Quame
The name Quame is of Akan origin, an ethnic group native to Ghana and the Ivory Coast in West Africa. The name can be traced back to the 15th century and the Akan language, which is a part of the Niger-Congo family of languages. The name Quame is derived from the Akan word "kwa," which means "born on Saturday" or "male child born on Saturday."
In traditional Akan culture, names were often given based on the day of the week a child was born, and Quame was specifically for boys born on Saturday. This naming tradition was deeply rooted in the Akan belief system and reflected their reverence for the cycles of time and nature.
Historically, the name Quame has been documented in various Akan oral traditions and storytelling. It has also been mentioned in some of the earliest written records of the Akan people, such as the personal accounts of European explorers and traders who interacted with the Akan kingdoms during the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Quame can be found in the writings of the Dutch trader Willem Bosman, who documented his encounters with the Akan people in the late 17th century. Bosman's accounts provide valuable insights into the naming practices and cultural traditions of the Akan at that time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Quame. One of the most prominent was Quame Nkrumah (1909-1972), a Ghanaian revolutionary and the first president of independent Ghana. Nkrumah played a pivotal role in Ghana's struggle for independence from British colonial rule and was a significant figure in the Pan-African movement.
Another notable Quame was Quame Ntianu-Ababio (1925-2014), a Ghanaian writer, and educator. He was known for his contributions to Akan literature and his efforts in preserving and promoting the Akan language and culture.
In the world of sports, Quame Mensah (born 1982) is a former Ghanaian professional footballer who played as a defender for several clubs in Europe, including Roda JC in the Netherlands and Slovan Liberec in the Czech Republic.
Quame Bediako (born 1977) is a Ghanaian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He co-founded the non-profit organization Developing Africans in America (DAA), which aims to empower and support African immigrants in the United States.
Quame Essel (born 1986) is a Ghanaian actor and filmmaker known for his work in both Ghanaian and international productions, including the television series "An African City" and the film "Somewhere in the Middle."
People
Quame + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quame as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quame: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quame?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quame going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,355,537 US residents.
Is Quame a common name?
We classify Quame as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quame most popular?
The single biggest year for Quame was 2001, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quame is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Quame in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quame a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quame in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Quame still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quame in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Quame can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Quame?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Quame at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.