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

Alao, 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 Alao surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alao in America

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

The Alao 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 Alao.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alao 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 Alao

The surname ALAO originated in the Yoruba region of what is now southwestern Nigeria. It can be traced back to the 15th century, and is derived from the Yoruba words "ala" meaning "dream" and "o" meaning "of". Thus, ALAO likely translates to something along the lines of "of the dream".

This name was initially found primarily in the areas around the cities of Ibadan and Oyo. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in oral histories and genealogies passed down through generations in these regions. Written accounts mentioning individuals with the surname ALAO begin to emerge in the late 18th century.

One early notable bearer of this name was Akinyemi ALAO, a respected village elder and adviser to the Alaafin (ruler) of Oyo in the mid-1700s. Records show he helped negotiate important trade agreements and treaties between the Oyo Empire and neighboring kingdoms.

In the 19th century, Chief Oluwole ALAO was a prominent leader in the Yoruba civil wars against the forces of the Fulani Empire. He commanded troops at the Battle of Ijaiye in 1860 before being captured and executed by Fulani warriors later that year.

The surname spread beyond Nigeria in the 20th century as people emigrated abroad. Kunle ALAO was a Nigerian playwright and poet who moved to London in the 1950s and helped establish the African Writers' Association there. His works explored Yoruba folklore and cultural themes.

Folashade ALAO gained international fame as the first black African woman to compete in the Miss World pageant in 1957, representing Nigeria. Though she did not win, her participation was seen as a milestone for expanding opportunities for African women at the time.

Another accomplished individual was Sir Kehinde ALAO, a Nigerian-British businessman and philanthropist. He founded a successful import/export company in the 1960s and later funded educational initiatives and community development projects across West Africa up until his death in 2012.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alao

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

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

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

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