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

Ajavon, 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 Ajavon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ajavon in America

Ajavon is the 113155th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ajavon surname appeared 155 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 Ajavon.

The history of the last name Ajavon

The surname AJAVON originated in the West African country of Benin. It is thought to have derived from the Fon language, spoken by the Fon people who are indigenous to Benin. The name may be related to the Fon word "adjagbo," which means "to travel" or "to wander."

Historically, the AJAVON name would have been associated with the Kingdom of Dahomey, a powerful West African empire that existed from the 17th to the 19th century in the region that is now Benin. The kingdom was known for its skilled warriors and its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

One of the earliest recorded references to the AJAVON name can be found in the writings of Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pereira, who visited the Kingdom of Dahomey in the early 16th century. In his account, he mentions encountering a group of people he calls the "Ajavon" or "Ajabon," which may have been an early spelling variation of the surname.

In the 19th century, a man named Ajavon Soussou was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Dahomey. He served as a powerful advisor and military leader under King Glele, and played a key role in the kingdom's resistance against French colonial forces.

Another notable individual with the AJAVON surname was Cyrille Ajavon, a Beninese politician who served as the country's Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1998. He was born in 1952 and played an influential role in Benin's post-independence economic development.

During the colonial era, the AJAVON name began to spread beyond Benin as individuals emigrated or were forcibly displaced to other parts of West Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. For example, there are records of individuals with the AJAVON surname in Haiti, possibly descendants of enslaved Africans from the Kingdom of Dahomey.

Overall, the AJAVON surname has a rich historical connection to the Kingdom of Dahomey and the Fon people of Benin, with roots that can be traced back to the 16th century or earlier. While the name has since spread across the globe, it remains closely tied to its West African origins and the cultural heritage of Benin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ajavon

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

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 Ajavon 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.

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

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

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