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

Idowu, 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 Idowu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Idowu in America

Idowu is the 35537th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Idowu surname appeared 633 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 Idowu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Idowu 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 Idowu

The surname Idowu originates from the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. It dates back to the 16th century or earlier. The name is derived from the Yoruba words "Ido" meaning "brown" and "wu" meaning "to be born." Thus, Idowu can be interpreted as "the brown one" or "born brown."

Idowu was initially a descriptive name given to children born with a darker complexion. It later became an inherited family name passed down through generations. The name was prevalent in the ancient Yoruba kingdoms of Oyo, Ilorin, and Ibadan.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Idowu can be found in the Iwe Itan Ibadan, a historical manuscript documenting the founding of Ibadan in the early 19th century. The text mentions an influential Idowu family who played a role in the city's establishment.

In the late 19th century, a prominent Idowu was Reverend Samuel Adjai Idowu (1842-1917), a pioneering Nigerian minister and educator. He was instrumental in establishing the first Anglican church and school in Abeokuta.

Another notable figure was Chief Obafemi Idowu (1887-1964), a businessman and traditional ruler in Abeokuta. He was a respected leader and played a significant role in the city's development during the colonial era.

In the 20th century, Professor Bolaji Idowu (1913-2003) was a renowned Nigerian scholar, philosopher, and author. His works on Yoruba traditional religion and philosophy, such as "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief," made significant contributions to African studies.

More recently, Idowu Koyenikan (born 1975) is an author and motivational speaker of Yoruba descent. His book "Wealth for All: Living a Life of Success at the Edge of Your Ability" has gained international recognition.

The name Idowu has also been associated with various place names in southwestern Nigeria, such as Idowu Quarters in Abeokuta and Idowu Village in Ondo State, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this surname in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Idowu

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!