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

Cudjoe, 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 Cudjoe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cudjoe in America

Cudjoe is the 39887th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cudjoe surname appeared 550 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 Cudjoe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cudjoe 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 Cudjoe

The surname CUDJOE originated in West Africa, specifically in the region now known as Ghana. It is believed to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, during the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The name is derived from the Akan language spoken by the Akan people of Ghana, and it is thought to be a variant of the name "Kojo," which means "born on Monday."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CUDJOE appears in the 1676 memoir of an English sailor named John Cawse, who recounted his encounters with Africans during his travels. In his writings, Cawse referred to a West African man named "Cudjoe" whom he had met on the island of Jamaica.

The name CUDJOE gained notoriety in the late 17th century when it was associated with a former slave named Cudjoe, who led a group of Maroons (escaped slaves) in a successful rebellion against British colonial authorities in Jamaica. Cudjoe and his followers established a community known as Cudjoe's Town (or Trelawny Town) in the rugged Cockpit Country region of Jamaica, where they lived autonomously for several decades.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Cudjoe Kasamansu (c. 1730-1787) emerged as a leader of the Black Loyalists, a community of formerly enslaved Africans who fought for the British during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, Kasamansu and his followers were granted land in Nova Scotia, Canada, where they established the settlement of Birchtown.

Another notable individual with the surname CUDJOE was Cudjoe Lewis (c. 1840-1923), a former slave who became a prosperous businessman and landowner in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, after the American Civil War. Lewis played a significant role in the economic development of the Hattiesburg area and was widely respected within the local community.

In the late 19th century, a man named Cudjoe Kazoola (c. 1870-1950) gained recognition as a traditional healer and spiritual leader among the Gullah people of the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Kazoola was renowned for his knowledge of herbal remedies and his ability to communicate with the spirit world.

While the surname CUDJOE has its roots in West Africa, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in regions with historical connections to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the African diaspora. It remains a prominent surname among many communities, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cudjoe

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

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

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

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