Quander family

The Quander family is believed to be the oldest documented African-American family that has come from African ancestry to present day America. They are from the Fanti tribe of the Akan peoples in modern day Ghana.

A man by the name of Egya Amkwandoh was kidnapped during the African slave trade during the late 17th century and transported to the United States. According to official slave records, when slave owners asked for his name, and he answered “Amkwandoh,” which was misinterpreted as “I am Quando.’ The next few generations of Quanders went by the name Quando; other variations include Quandoe and Kwando. The name became recognized as the present day pronunciation “Quander” during the 19th century.