2000
#25,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 902
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Bangura
A surname of African origin likely meaning "warrior" or "from the warrior clan".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,303 Americans carry the last name Bangura. That puts it at #10,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bangura 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bangura with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,771
Census rank
#10,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,880 bearers of the surname Bangura in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bangura, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bangura
The surname Bangura is believed to have originated in West Africa, specifically in the region now known as Guinea. It is derived from the Susu language, which is spoken by the Susu people, an ethnic group predominantly found in coastal areas of Guinea and parts of Sierra Leone.
The name Bangura is thought to be a combination of two words in the Susu language – "bang" meaning "tree" or "large tree," and "gura" meaning "place" or "area." Therefore, the name Bangura could be interpreted as "the place of the large trees" or "the area with many trees."
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Bangura appeared in various historical records and documents related to the region, particularly those documenting trade and commerce along the West African coast. One notable mention is found in the travel journals of British explorer Mungo Park, who encountered individuals with the surname Bangura during his expeditions to the Niger River in the late 1700s.
The earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bangura include Musa Bangura, a prominent trader and chief in the Susu region of Guinea in the early 19th century, and Fatumata Bangura, a renowned healer and midwife from the same era.
Another notable figure was Saran Bangura, a influential leader and diplomat from Sierra Leone, who played a crucial role in negotiations between the British colonial authorities and local rulers in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, Almamy Bangura, a respected teacher and scholar from Guinea, made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Susu language and culture.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bangura is Mohamed Bangura, a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1960s and played a pivotal role in the country's independence negotiations with Britain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bangura
Among Census respondents with the surname Bangura, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bangura 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 Bangura surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.5% · 2,749
- Two or more races2.4% · 68
- White1.4% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bangura
Bangura 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
#15,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
+1,014 bearers (+112.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 10,355 places
2020
#10,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,880
+964 bearers (+50.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 4,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,673 | 902 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,318 | 1,916 | 0.65 | +1,014 bearers (+112.4%) | Up 10,355 places |
| 2020 | #10,613 | 2,880 | 0.96 | +964 bearers (+50.3%) | Up 4,705 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 Bangura 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 | #15,318 | #10,613 | 30.7% |
| Count | 1,916 | 2,880 | 50.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.96 | 48.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bangura bearers went from 1,916 to 2,880 (+50.3% change). The surname moved up 4,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,318 to #10,613.
FAQ
Bangura surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bangura?
Name Census estimates that about 3,303 living Americans carry the surname Bangura. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,771 residents.
How common is Bangura?
Bangura ranks #10,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,880 people with the surname Bangura. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bangura.
Has Bangura become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bangura went from 1,916 recorded bearers to 2,880. That is an increase of 964 (+50.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,318 to #10,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Bangura?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bangura, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bangura in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (2,749 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bangura appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%), White (1.4%). 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 Bangura (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 Bangura mean?
A surname of African origin likely meaning "warrior" or "from the warrior clan". 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 Bangura (0.96 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 have the surname Bangura?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.