Explore the Family Name Nwankwo

The meaning of Nwankwo

West African (Nigeria): from the Igbo personal name Nwankwo meaning ‘child born on Nkwo day’. Nkwo is the name of one of the four (market) days of the Igbo four-day week.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Nwankwo in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Nwankwo has seen a significant rise in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Nwankwo ranked at 35,106 but by 2010 it had climbed to 25,255, an impressive increase of approximately 28%. The number of people with this surname also increased dramatically during this period, from 608 to 981, representing a surge of over 61%. The proportion of people named Nwankwo per 100,000 also rose by 43.48% over this decade.

20002010Change
Rank#35,106#25,25528.06%
Count60898161.35%
Proportion per 100k0.230.3343.48%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nwankwo

When reviewing the ethnic identity associated with the surname Nwankwo, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, there's a clear majority claim of African American ethnicity. In 2000, 94.24% of those with this surname identified as black and that percentage rose slightly to 96.23% by 2010. A small percentage of Nwankwo individuals identified as white (around 1%) or as being of two or more races (3.62% in 2000, falling to 1.53% in 2010). It's worth noting that in 2010, 0.82% claimed Hispanic ethnicity, which was not recorded in 2000. No data was noted for Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities for either census year.

20002010Change
Black94.24%96.23%2.11%
Two or More Races3.62%1.53%-57.73%
White0.99%1.02%3.03%
Hispanic0%0.82%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%