2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Akinwande
A Yoruba surname meaning "the brave one is back home" or "the warrior has returned home."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 351 Americans carry the last name Akinwande. That puts it at #69,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 976,508 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Akinwande 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 Akinwande with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
351
1 in 976,508
Census rank
#69,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
306
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 306 bearers of the surname Akinwande in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Akinwande, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Akinwande
The surname Akinwande originates from the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. It dates back several centuries, with roots in the Yoruba language spoken in parts of modern-day Nigeria, Togo, and Benin.
Akinwande is a compound name formed from the words "Akin" and "wande." In Yoruba, "Akin" means "brave" or "courageous," while "wande" signifies "to come from" or "to originate from." Thus, Akinwande can be translated as "one who comes from or originates from the brave or courageous people."
The earliest recorded instances of the Akinwande surname can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various historical records and manuscripts documenting the Yoruba people and their lineages. Some of these early records were created by European explorers and missionaries who encountered the Yoruba during their travels to West Africa.
One notable example of an early Akinwande is Adeyinka Akinwande, a Yoruba chief who lived in the late 17th century and played a significant role in the expansion of the Oyo Empire, one of the most influential Yoruba kingdoms of that era.
Another prominent figure bearing the Akinwande surname was Oluwole Akinwande (1892-1967), a Nigerian lawyer, educator, and political activist who fought for the rights of the Yoruba people and advocated for their cultural preservation.
In the realm of sports, Akinyemi Akinwande (born 1965) is a former professional boxer from Nigeria who competed in the heavyweight division and held the WBO heavyweight title from 1996 to 1997.
Muyiwa Akinwande (born 1985) is a contemporary Nigerian-born British artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public art installations that explore themes of identity, migration, and cultural heritage.
Lastly, Oluyinka Akinwande (born 1981) is a Nigerian-American engineer and academic who has made significant contributions to the field of aerospace engineering, particularly in the development of advanced materials for aircraft and spacecraft.
While the Akinwande surname has its origins in Nigeria, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage rooted in the Yoruba tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akinwande
Among Census respondents with the surname Akinwande, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Akinwande 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 Akinwande surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.4% · 295
- Two or more races2.3% · 7
- White0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Akinwande
Akinwande 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
#94,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
+90 bearers (+87.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 52,365 places
2020
#69,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 306
+113 bearers (+58.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 25,564 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #94,730 | 193 | 0.07 | +90 bearers (+87.4%) | Up 52,365 places |
| 2020 | #69,166 | 306 | 0.10 | +113 bearers (+58.5%) | Up 25,564 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 Akinwande 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 | #94,730 | #69,166 | 27.0% |
| Count | 193 | 306 | 58.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.10 | 46.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Akinwande bearers went from 193 to 306 (+58.5% change). The surname moved up 25,564 positions in the national ranking, going from #94,730 to #69,166.
FAQ
Akinwande surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Akinwande?
Name Census estimates that about 351 living Americans carry the surname Akinwande. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 976,508 residents.
How common is Akinwande?
Akinwande ranks #69,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 306 people with the surname Akinwande. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Akinwande.
Has Akinwande become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Akinwande went from 193 recorded bearers to 306. That is an increase of 113 (+58.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #94,730 to #69,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Akinwande?
Among Census respondents with the surname Akinwande, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (0.7%). 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 Akinwande in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Akinwande appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%), White (0.7%). 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 Akinwande (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 Akinwande mean?
A Yoruba surname meaning "the brave one is back home" or "the warrior has returned home." 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 Akinwande (0.10 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 Americans have the surname Akinwande?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.