Adedeji last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Adedeji is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Adedeji.

Meaning of Adedeji

One who is born into royalty or crowned at birth, implying a noble lineage.

Adedeji, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Adedeji surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Adedeji in America

Adedeji is the 50659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Adedeji surname appeared 412 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Adedeji.

We can also compare 2010 data for Adedeji to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 50659 85996 -51.72%
Count 412 202 68.40%
Proportion per 100k 0.14 0.07 66.67%

The history of the last name Adedeji

The surname "ADEDEJI" originates from the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. It is a compound name derived from the Yoruba words "Ade" meaning "crown" or "royalty" and "Deji" meaning "watcher" or "hunter."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in the region now known as Oyo State, where it was used by members of the Oyo Empire, a powerful Yoruba kingdom that dominated much of present-day southwestern Nigeria and parts of Benin Republic.

In the 18th century, the name appears in written records of the Egba people, a sub-group of the Yoruba who settled in the area around present-day Abeokuta. One notable figure from this period was Adedeji Adelekan, a prominent warrior and chief who played a significant role in the founding of Abeokuta in the early 19th century.

During the 19th century, the name gained prominence among the Ijebu people, another Yoruba sub-group. One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Adedeji Sowande (1836-1908), a renowned trader and landowner who was instrumental in the development of the Ijebu-Ode area.

In the early 20th century, the name was carried by Adedeji Ogunlade (1905-1980), a prominent Nigerian politician and educator who served as the first Speaker of the Western Region House of Assembly in Nigeria.

Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Adedeji Ogunseye (1920-2002), a Nigerian artist and sculptor who was widely celebrated for his works depicting traditional Yoruba culture and mythology.

Over the centuries, the name has spread beyond its Yoruba roots and can now be found among various ethnic groups in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, as well as among the Nigerian diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Adedeji

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Adedeji.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Adedeji was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Black Only 96.12% 396
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.70% 7
Hispanic Origin 1.70% 7

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Adedeji has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White (S)% (S)% (S)%
Black 96.12% 95.54% 0.61%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 1.70% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.70% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Adedeji was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Adedeji, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Adedeji last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/adedeji-surname-popularity/.

"Adedeji last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/adedeji-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024

Adedeji last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/adedeji-surname-popularity/.

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