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

Diarra, 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 Diarra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Diarra in America

Diarra is the 35203rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Diarra surname appeared 640 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 Diarra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Diarra 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 Diarra

The surname Diarra originates from the West African nation of Mali, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have its roots in the Soninke language, spoken by the Soninke people of the ancient Ghana Empire. The name is derived from the Soninke word "diara," meaning "scribe" or "scholar."

In the 13th century, during the reign of the Mali Empire, the Diarra family gained prominence as a respected lineage of scholars and scribes. They were renowned for their expertise in Islamic theology, literature, and education. Some of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in historical manuscripts and chronicles from that era.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Diarra was Mustafa Diarra, a renowned Islamic scholar and poet who lived in the 14th century. His works and teachings were widely celebrated throughout the Mali Empire and beyond.

Another notable figure was Abdoulaye Diarra, a prominent military leader and statesman who served as a general under the legendary ruler Sundiata Keita in the early 13th century. His bravery and strategic prowess were instrumental in the expansion and consolidation of the Mali Empire.

In the 16th century, the Diarra family produced several influential religious leaders and teachers, including Ahmadou Diarra, who established a renowned Islamic school in Timbuktu, a center of learning and scholarship at the time.

During the 18th century, a renowned Diarra scholar named Boubacar Diarra made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and mathematics. His treatises and calculations were widely studied and referenced by scholars across West Africa.

In more recent history, Moussa Diarra, born in 1935, was a prominent Malian politician and diplomat who served as the country's Prime Minister from 1994 to 1997.

The Diarra surname has also spread to other parts of West Africa, particularly in countries like Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire, where it continues to be associated with a rich heritage of scholarship and intellectual pursuits.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Diarra

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

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

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

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