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

Adesanya, 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 Adesanya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Adesanya in America

Adesanya is the 60505th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Adesanya surname appeared 333 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 Adesanya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Adesanya 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.

The history of the last name Adesanya

The surname Adesanya originates from the Yoruba ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria. It can be traced back to the 17th century and is believed to have derived from the Yoruba words "Ade" meaning "crown" and "Sanya" meaning "sought after" or "desired."

The earliest recorded instances of the Adesanya surname can be found in historical records and documents from the ancient Oyo Empire, a prominent Yoruba kingdom that existed between the 16th and 19th centuries. The name is thought to have been initially used to denote individuals who held esteemed positions or were highly respected within their communities.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the Adesanya surname was Oba Adesanya Abiodun, who ruled as the Alafin (king) of the Oyo Empire from 1774 to 1789. His reign was marked by significant territorial expansion and the consolidation of Oyo's power in the region.

In the 19th century, the Adesanya surname gained further recognition through the exploits of Samuel Adesanya Crowther (1809-1891), a pioneering figure in the Anglican Church and the first black bishop in Nigeria. Crowther played a crucial role in the translation of the Bible into the Yoruba language and the establishment of the Church Missionary Society in Nigeria.

Another prominent Adesanya was Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (née Adesanya) (1900-1978), a renowned political activist and women's rights campaigner. She was a leading figure in the Nigerian independence movement and played a pivotal role in the struggle for women's enfranchisement in the country.

In more recent times, the Adesanya surname has gained global recognition through Israel Adesanya (born 1989), a Nigerian-born New Zealand professional mixed martial artist and former UFC Interim Middleweight Champion.

While the Adesanya surname has its roots in the Yoruba culture of southwestern Nigeria, it has since spread beyond its region of origin and can now be found among various communities across Nigeria and other parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Adesanya

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

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 Adesanya was:

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 Adesanya has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Adesanya was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!