2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Angelou
A French surname derived from the Greek word "angelos" meaning "messenger" or "angel".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Angelou. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Angelou 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.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Angelou in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Angelou, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Angelou
The surname Angelou originates from Greece and is believed to have first emerged in the 15th century. It is derived from the Greek word "angelos," which means "messenger" or "angel." The name was likely initially given to individuals who worked as messengers or had a connection to religious institutions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Angelou surname can be found in historical records from the island of Crete, dating back to the late 15th century. These records mention an individual named Ioannis Angelou, who was a merchant and landowner in the city of Chania.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Angelou name began to spread throughout other parts of Greece, particularly in the regions of Peloponnese and Attica. Some variations in spelling also emerged, such as Angelopoulos and Angelidis.
In the 18th century, the Angelou surname made its way to other parts of Europe, as Greeks emigrated to countries like Italy, France, and Russia. One notable individual bearing this name was Konstantinos Angelou, a Greek philosopher and scholar who lived in the late 18th century and wrote extensively on topics related to ancient Greek philosophy.
As the Angelou name continued to spread globally, it also appeared in historical records from other regions. For example, in the 19th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Angelou living in the United States, likely descendants of Greek immigrants who settled in various parts of the country.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the Angelou surname. These include:
1. Maya Angelou (1928-2014), an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, who was one of the most influential literary voices of the 20th century.
2. Dimitrios Angelou (1853-1923), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece in the early 20th century.
3. Georgios Angelou (1870-1951), a Greek painter and artist who is considered one of the pioneers of modern Greek art.
4. Evangelos Angelou (1901-1984), a Greek actor and director who was instrumental in the development of modern Greek theater.
5. Petros Angelou (1891-1967), a Greek military officer who played a significant role in the Greek resistance during World War II and later became a member of the Greek parliament.
While the Angelou surname has its roots in Greece, it has since become a name recognized and represented in various parts of the world, thanks to the contributions and achievements of individuals who have carried this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Angelou
Among Census respondents with the surname Angelou, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Angelou 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 Angelou surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Angelou
Angelou 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-16 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 18,334 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -16 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 18,334 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Angelou 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Angelou bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Angelou surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Angelou?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Angelou. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Angelou?
Angelou ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Angelou. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Angelou.
Has Angelou become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Angelou went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Angelou?
Among Census respondents with the surname Angelou, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Angelou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Angelou appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (3.4%). 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 Angelou (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 Angelou mean?
A French surname derived from the Greek word "angelos" meaning "messenger" or "angel". 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 Angelou (0.04 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 many people are called Angelou?
Want to know how common the surname Angelou is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.