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

Kalala, 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 Kalala surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kalala in America

Kalala is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kalala surname appeared 167 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 Kalala.

The history of the last name Kalala

The surname KALALA originates from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country located in Central Africa. It can be traced back to the late 16th century, when it was primarily found among the Kongo people, an ethnic group native to the region.

KALALA is believed to have derived from the Kikongo word "kalala," which translates to "river." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who lived near or were associated with a significant river or waterway in the region.

Early records of the name KALALA can be found in historical documents and manuscripts from the Kongo Kingdom, which ruled over parts of present-day Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo from the 14th to the 19th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Nzinga Kalala, a prominent Kongo diplomat and negotiator who lived in the late 16th century and played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic ties between the Kongo Kingdom and Portugal.

Another notable figure with the surname KALALA was Ntumba Kalala, a Kongo military commander who led forces against Portuguese invaders in the 17th century during the Battle of Mbwila in 1665.

In the 18th century, the name KALALA appeared in various historical records related to the Kingdom of Loango, a neighboring region to the Kongo Kingdom, suggesting the name's spread and adoption among other ethnic groups in the area.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname KALALA was Patrice Lumumba Kalala, a Congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, born in 1925 and assassinated in 1961.

Another notable bearer of the name was Mwando Kalala, a Congolese musician and bandleader who was influential in the development of Soukous music, a popular genre in Central Africa. He was born in 1932 and passed away in 2015.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kalala

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

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 Kalala 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.

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

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

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