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

Conteh, 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 Conteh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Conteh in America

Conteh is the 16593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Conteh surname appeared 1,728 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Conteh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Conteh 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 Conteh

The surname Conteh originated in West Africa, specifically in the regions of present-day Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. It is believed to have its roots in the Mandinka language, which is a part of the Mandé branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

The name Conteh is thought to be derived from the Mandinka word "kontho," which means "warrior" or "brave one." This suggests that the surname may have been initially given to individuals who displayed exceptional courage and bravery in battle or during times of conflict.

Historical records indicate that the surname Conteh can be traced back to the 16th century, when it was used by various ethnic groups within the region, such as the Mandinka, Susu, and Limba. It is possible that the name appeared in oral traditions, songs, and oral histories passed down through generations before being recorded in written form.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Conteh can be found in the writings of Portuguese explorer André Álvares de Almada, who documented his encounters with West African kingdoms in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He mentioned individuals with the surname Conteh among the ruling elite and warriors of the Mandinka Empire.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Conteh include Almamy Conteh (c. 1760-1836), a prominent military leader and ruler of the Mandinka Empire in present-day Guinea; Sori Conteh (c. 1810-1880), a renowned warrior and chief of the Susu people in Sierra Leone; and Bai Bureh Conteh (c. 1840-1898), a legendary leader who led the Hut Tax War against British colonial rule in Sierra Leone.

In more recent times, Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Conteh (1916-2005) was a prominent politician and diplomat from Sierra Leone, serving as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United Nations. Additionally, Amadu Conteh (1936-2017) was a respected Sierra Leonean academic and author, known for his works on African literature and culture.

While the spelling "Conteh" is the most common variant, historical records also show variations such as "Konteh," "Conte," and "Conté," which likely reflect different regional dialects and orthographic traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Conteh

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

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

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

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