Bangaly
A masculine name of West African origin meaning "messenger of peace".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Bangaly. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bangaly today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bangaly births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bangaly. 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 Bangaly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,457
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Bangaly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bangaly from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 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
Bangaly 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 Bangaly 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 Bangaly
Bangaly is a given name with roots in the Mandinka language, spoken by the Mandinka people of West Africa. The name likely originated in the region around present-day Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau, where the Mandinka have historically resided.
The name Bangaly appears to be derived from the Mandinka word "banga," which means "to be victorious" or "to triumph." This suggests that the name may have been given to children as a wish for them to lead a successful and victorious life.
While there are no known ancient texts or religious scriptures that directly reference the name Bangaly, it is possible that the name has been in use among the Mandinka people for centuries, reflecting their cultural traditions and linguistic heritage.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bangaly was Bangaly Traoré, a Mandinka ruler and warrior who lived in the 18th century. He was known for his military prowess and leadership in defending his people against foreign invaders.
Another notable figure was Bangaly Diarra, a Mandinka scholar and Islamic teacher who lived in the 19th century. He was renowned for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and contributed significantly to the preservation and dissemination of Mandinka cultural knowledge.
In the 20th century, Bangaly Fofana was a prominent Mandinka musician and griot (oral historian) who played an important role in preserving and promoting the traditional music and oral traditions of his people.
Bangaly Camara, born in 1935, was a Mandinka politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Guinea in the 1960s and played a key role in shaping the country's foreign policy during its early years of independence.
More recently, Bangaly Soumahoro, born in 1970, is a Mandinka writer and activist from Côte d'Ivoire. He has published several works exploring themes of identity, migration, and social justice, and has been a vocal advocate for the rights of immigrant communities.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Bangaly throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in the Mandinka culture and the diverse accomplishments of those who have carried this name.
People
Bangaly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bangaly as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bangaly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bangaly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bangaly 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Bangaly a common name?
We classify Bangaly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bangaly most popular?
The single biggest year for Bangaly was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bangaly is about 7 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 Bangaly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bangaly a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bangaly 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 Bangaly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bangaly 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 Bangaly 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 Bangaly?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.