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

Mandigo, 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 Mandigo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mandigo in America

Mandigo is the 27918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mandigo surname appeared 859 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 Mandigo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mandigo 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 Mandigo

The surname Mandigo has its origins traced back to the West African nation of Gambia during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Mandinka ethnic group, a prominent community within the region. The name may have evolved from the word "manding," which refers to the historical Manding Empire that encompassed parts of modern-day Mali, Senegal, and Guinea.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mandigo surname can be found in the records of the Portuguese explorers who ventured along the Gambian coast during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. These explorers often documented the names of local rulers and prominent individuals they encountered, providing valuable historical references.

In the 17th century, the Mandigo name appeared in the records of the British Royal African Company, a trading organization that operated along the West African coast. These records often listed names of local traders and intermediaries, suggesting that the Mandigo surname may have been associated with individuals involved in the early trans-Atlantic trade.

As the transatlantic slave trade expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Mandigo surname was carried across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include:

1. Kunta Kinte Mandigo (c. 1750 - c. 1822), a Mandinka man from modern-day Gambia who was captured and brought to the United States as a slave. His story was famously depicted in Alex Haley's novel "Roots."

2. Samba Mandigo (c. 1780 - unknown), a prominent leader of the Mandingo people in the Casamance region of Senegal, who led resistance against French colonial rule in the early 19th century.

3. Aline Mandigo (1828 - 1902), an African-American quilter and textile artist from South Carolina, whose works are now preserved in various museums and collections.

4. Musa Mandigo (1855 - 1938), a Gambian scholar and diplomat who served as a representative of the British Empire in various West African territories.

5. Fatou Mandigo (1910 - 1978), a Senegalese writer and activist who championed women's rights and education in her country.

Throughout its history, the Mandigo surname has been associated with various places, including the Gambian towns of Banjul and Serekunda, as well as regions in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone, where Mandinka communities have traditionally resided.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mandigo

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

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

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

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