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

Babatunde, 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 Babatunde surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Babatunde in America

Babatunde is the 55121st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Babatunde surname appeared 373 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 Babatunde.

We can also compare 2010 data for Babatunde 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 Babatunde

The surname Babatunde has its origins in the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria, West Africa. The name is a combination of two Yoruba words, "Baba" meaning father, and "Tunde" meaning comes to meet or comes to find.

Historically, the name Babatunde was likely given as a name to children who were born after the death of their grandfathers or great-grandfathers, symbolizing the belief that the child was a reincarnation of the deceased ancestor, coming back to meet or find the family. The name has been in use among the Yoruba people for centuries.

Early records of the name Babatunde can be found in various historical documents and manuscripts from the region, including Yoruba oral traditions and ancient texts. One notable example is the mention of a Yoruba chief named Babatunde in the writings of the 18th-century Scottish explorer and writer, Mungo Park, who traveled through the region.

Some of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Babatunde include Babatunde Ajayi, a Yoruba prince and military leader in the late 18th century, and Babatunde Okunola, a prominent Yoruba trader and entrepreneur in the 19th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Babatunde throughout history include:

1. Babatunde Fani-Kayode (born 1960), a Nigerian lawyer, writer, and politician.
2. Babatunde Osotimehin (1949-2017), a Nigerian physician and former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund.
3. Babatunde Olujobi (1935-2018), a Nigerian academic and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
4. Babatunde Ogunnaike (born 1953), a Nigerian-American chemical engineer and academic.
5. Babatunde Obafemi Omokekhai (1909-1983), a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as the first Speaker of the Western House of Assembly.

The surname Babatunde has maintained its cultural significance among the Yoruba people and has spread globally through migration and diaspora communities. It remains a prominent name in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, as well as among people of Yoruba descent worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Babatunde

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

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

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

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