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

Ndlovu, 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 Ndlovu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ndlovu in America

Ndlovu is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ndlovu surname appeared 153 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 Ndlovu.

The history of the last name Ndlovu

The surname NDLOVU is of South African Nguni origin, derived from the Nguni word "indlovu" meaning "elephant". It is a fairly common surname among the Zulu and Xhosa people of South Africa, and is believed to have originated in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.

The name's earliest known recorded usage can be traced back to the late 17th century, when it appeared in written records of Nguni communities. It is thought to have initially been a descriptive name, referring to a person's physical characteristics, strength, or personality traits that resembled an elephant.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, as the Zulu and Xhosa kingdoms expanded and solidified their power, the NDLOVU surname became more widespread. It was borne by several notable figures in the region's history, including Ndlovu kaLanga, a prominent Zulu chief in the early 19th century, and Ndlovu Mqayi, a renowned Xhosa warrior and leader during the Xhosa Wars against British colonial forces in the late 1800s.

In the 20th century, the NDLOVU surname continued to be prevalent among South African Nguni communities. One notable bearer was Ndlovu Dladla, a Zulu dancer and choreographer who helped popularize traditional Zulu dance on an international stage in the 1960s and 1970s.

Other notable individuals with the NDLOVU surname include Ndlovu Gatsheni, a Zimbabwean academic and author known for his work on decolonial theory, and Ndlovu Kunene, a South African writer and poet who published several collections of Zulu poetry in the latter half of the 20th century.

While the NDLOVU surname is most commonly associated with South Africa's Nguni people, it has also been adopted by individuals of other African ethnicities and nationalities, reflecting the cultural and linguistic diversity of the continent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ndlovu

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

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

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

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