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

Kinyanjui, 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 Kinyanjui surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kinyanjui in America

Kinyanjui is the 60790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kinyanjui surname appeared 331 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 Kinyanjui.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kinyanjui 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 Kinyanjui

The surname Kinyanjui originated in Kenya and can be traced back to the 19th century. It is a Kikuyu name, with the prefix 'Kinya' meaning 'of the' and 'njui' meaning 'ostrich'. The name likely referred to someone who had some association with ostriches, perhaps living near an area where they were found or dealing in ostrich products.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kinyanjui appears in a document from the British colonial administration in Kenya, dated 1892. This document lists a man named Kinyanjui as being a local headman in the area that is now known as Kiambu County.

In the early 20th century, a man named Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu (c.1870-1940) was a prominent figure in the Kikuyu community. He was a respected elder and played a significant role in mediating disputes and upholding traditional Kikuyu customs and practices.

Another notable individual with the surname Kinyanjui was Jomo Kenyatta (c.1894-1978), the first Prime Minister and President of independent Kenya. His birth name was Kamau wa Ngengi, but he later adopted the name Kinyanjui as a way of obscuring his identity while studying in England in the 1930s.

In the 1950s, during the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule, a man named Dedan Kinyanjui Kimathi (c.1920-1957) emerged as a prominent leader of the rebel forces. He was eventually captured and executed by the British authorities in 1957.

More recently, Wangari Maathai (1940-2011), the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, was born with the surname Kinyanjui. She was a renowned environmental activist and played a leading role in the Green Belt Movement, which focused on planting trees and promoting sustainable development in Kenya.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Kinyanjui throughout history. While the name has its roots in Kenya's Kikuyu community, it has also gained recognition on a global scale due to the accomplishments of some of its notable bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kinyanjui

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

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

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

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