2000
#24,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 971
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Ndiaye
A Senegalese surname indicating the person is of royal descent from the Wolof and Serer ethnic groups.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,338 Americans carry the last name Ndiaye. That puts it at #8,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,012 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ndiaye surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ndiaye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,012
Census rank
#8,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,783 bearers of the surname Ndiaye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ndiaye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ndiaye
The surname Ndiaye originates from Senegal in West Africa. It is one of the most common surnames among the Wolof people, an ethnic group native to Senegal and parts of neighboring countries. The name is believed to have derived from the Wolof word "ndiay," which means "to gather" or "to bring together."
Historically, the Ndiaye surname can be traced back to the 13th century, when the Wolof kingdom of Jolof (also spelled Djolof or Jollof) was a prominent regional power in Senegal. Some records suggest that the name may have initially referred to a specific lineage or clan within the Wolof nobility or ruling class.
One of the earliest documented references to the Ndiaye name can be found in the writings of medieval Arab scholars and travelers, who visited the region and documented the Wolof people and their customs. For instance, the 14th-century Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta mentioned encountering a Wolof leader named Ndiaye during his travels through West Africa.
Throughout the centuries, the Ndiaye surname has been associated with several notable figures in Senegalese and West African history. One such figure was Ndiaye Mbar, a prominent Wolof leader and military commander in the late 16th century, who played a significant role in defending the Jolof kingdom against Portuguese invaders.
Another notable Ndiaye was El Hadj Oumar Tall (1797-1864), a Toucouleur (Fulani) religious and military leader who established the Toucouleur Empire in present-day Mali and Senegal. His mother, Penda Ndiaye, was from a prominent Wolof family, which likely influenced his name.
In more recent history, Lamine Ndiaye (1958-2007) was a renowned Senegalese writer, playwright, and actor, known for his contributions to the promotion of Wolof culture and literature. He was a recipient of the Grand Prix des Muses, one of the highest literary honors in Francophone Africa.
Abdoulaye Ndiaye (1931-2018) was a Senegalese politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) from 1985 to 1989.
Marie Ndiaye (born 1967) is a French novelist and playwright of Senegalese descent, who won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2009 for her novel "Trois femmes puissantes" (Three Powerful Women).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ndiaye
Among Census respondents with the surname Ndiaye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ndiaye bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ndiaye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.2% · 3,450
- Two or more races4.2% · 159
- White3.1% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ndiaye
Ndiaye appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
+1,520 bearers (+156.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 11,740 places
2020
#8,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,783
+1,292 bearers (+51.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 4,079 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,200 | 971 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,460 | 2,491 | 0.84 | +1,520 bearers (+156.5%) | Up 11,740 places |
| 2020 | #8,381 | 3,783 | 1.27 | +1,292 bearers (+51.9%) | Up 4,079 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ndiaye surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,460 | #8,381 | 32.7% |
| Count | 2,491 | 3,783 | 51.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 1.27 | 50.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ndiaye bearers went from 2,491 to 3,783 (+51.9% change). The surname moved up 4,079 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,460 to #8,381.
FAQ
Ndiaye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ndiaye?
Name Census estimates that about 4,338 living Americans carry the surname Ndiaye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,012 residents.
How common is Ndiaye?
Ndiaye ranks #8,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,783 people with the surname Ndiaye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ndiaye.
Has Ndiaye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ndiaye went from 2,491 recorded bearers to 3,783. That is an increase of 1,292 (+51.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,460 to #8,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Ndiaye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ndiaye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ndiaye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ndiaye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), White (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ndiaye (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ndiaye mean?
A Senegalese surname indicating the person is of royal descent from the Wolof and Serer ethnic groups. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ndiaye (1.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Ndiaye?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.