2000
#81,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Adeleke
A Yoruba surname meaning "the crown or royalty triumphs."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 936 Americans carry the last name Adeleke. That puts it at #30,610 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 366,191 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adeleke 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 Adeleke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
936
1 in 366,191
Census rank
#30,610
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
816
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 816 bearers of the surname Adeleke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30610th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adeleke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adeleke
The surname Adeleke is of Nigerian origin, tracing its roots back to the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th or 17th century in the region that is now known as Oyo State.
Adeleke is a compound word derived from the Yoruba language, with "Ade" meaning "crown" or "royalty" and "leke" meaning "to possess" or "to own." Together, the name can be interpreted as "one who possesses royalty" or "one who owns a crown." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals of noble or royal lineage within the Yoruba society.
Historical records indicate that the Adeleke name appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the Oyo Empire, which flourished in the region from the 16th to the 19th century. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in a manuscript from the late 18th century, which mentions an Adeleke family residing in the town of Ibadan.
The name Adeleke has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Adebayo Adeleke, a prominent Yoruba chief who lived in the early 19th century and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Oyo Empire.
Another notable figure bearing the Adeleke surname is Asiwaju Olusegun Adeleke, a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as the Governor of Osun State from 1992 to 1993. He was born in 1939 and passed away in 2017.
In the realm of entertainment, Davido, a popular Nigerian singer and songwriter, carries the Adeleke surname. His full name is David Adedeji Adeleke, and he was born in 1992.
Another prominent individual with this surname is Adekunle Adeleke, a Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist who has been actively involved in advocating for democratic reforms and good governance in Nigeria since the late 20th century.
Lastly, Olubunmi Adeleke, a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, has made significant contributions to the development of various sectors in his home country. He was born in 1960 and continues to be an influential figure in Nigeria.
While the Adeleke name has its roots in the Yoruba culture of southwestern Nigeria, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by individuals of Nigerian descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adeleke
Among Census respondents with the surname Adeleke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Adeleke 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 Adeleke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.2% · 769
- Two or more races2.6% · 21
- White1.3% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adeleke
Adeleke 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
#47,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 444
+227 bearers (+104.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 33,394 places
2020
#30,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 816
+372 bearers (+83.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 17,096 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,100 | 217 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,706 | 444 | 0.15 | +227 bearers (+104.6%) | Up 33,394 places |
| 2020 | #30,610 | 816 | 0.27 | +372 bearers (+83.8%) | Up 17,096 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 Adeleke 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 | #47,706 | #30,610 | 35.8% |
| Count | 444 | 816 | 83.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.27 | 82.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adeleke bearers went from 444 to 816 (+83.8% change). The surname moved up 17,096 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,706 to #30,610.
FAQ
Adeleke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adeleke?
Name Census estimates that about 936 living Americans carry the surname Adeleke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 366,191 residents.
How common is Adeleke?
Adeleke ranks #30,610 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 816 people with the surname Adeleke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Adeleke.
Has Adeleke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adeleke went from 444 recorded bearers to 816. That is an increase of 372 (+83.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #47,706 to #30,610.
What does the Census say about the background of Adeleke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adeleke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (1.3%). 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 Adeleke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adeleke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), White (1.3%). 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 Adeleke (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 Adeleke mean?
A Yoruba surname meaning "the crown or royalty triumphs." 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 Adeleke (0.27 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 common is the surname Adeleke?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Adeleke? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.