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

Aweis, 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 Aweis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aweis in America

Aweis is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aweis surname appeared 154 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 Aweis.

The history of the last name Aweis

The surname AWEIS is of Somali origin, tracing its roots back to the Horn of Africa region in the medieval period. It is derived from the Somali word 'aweys', which means 'lion' or 'brave one'. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname or personal epithet for an individual who displayed exceptional courage or strength in battle or hunting.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name AWEIS can be found in the 'Kitab al-Shami', an Arabic manuscript from the 13th century that documented the genealogies of various Somali clans and lineages. This text mentions an individual named 'Aweys ibn Khalid', who was a prominent warrior and leader of the Hawiye clan during the expansion of the Ajuran Empire.

In the 16th century, the name AWEIS appeared in the travel writings of the Moroccan scholar and explorer, Ibn Battuta. He recounted his encounters with a Somali sultan named 'Aweys al-Kutubi', who ruled over a coastal kingdom in the region of present-day Somalia.

The earliest known bearer of the surname AWEIS was Abdirahman Aweis, a 17th-century poet and scholar from the Ogaden region of present-day Ethiopia. His poetic works, which praised the virtues of bravery and honor, have been preserved in oral traditions and are still recited by Somali bards today.

Another notable figure with the surname AWEIS was Mohamed Aweis, an 18th-century religious leader and scholar from the Somali coastal city of Merca. He was renowned for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and his contributions to the spread of Islam in the region.

In the 19th century, the name AWEIS gained further prominence with the rise of the Geledi Sultanate, a powerful Somali kingdom that controlled much of the Shebelle River valley. One of its most influential rulers was Sultan Ahmed Aweis, who reigned from 1848 to 1878 and was known for his military campaigns against rival clans and his efforts to promote trade and commerce.

Over the centuries, the surname AWEIS has been associated with various place names and settlements across the Horn of Africa. These include the town of Aweys in the Galmudug region of Somalia, as well as the Aweys Hills in the Somali region of Ethiopia, both of which likely derived their names from individuals or clans bearing the AWEIS surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aweis

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

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

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

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