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

Sanogo, 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 Sanogo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sanogo in America

Sanogo is the 67943rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sanogo surname appeared 290 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 Sanogo.

The history of the last name Sanogo

The surname Sanogo originated from the West African country of Mali. It is a Bambara name, with the Bambara people being one of the largest ethnic groups in Mali. The name likely dates back to the medieval era or earlier.

The name Sanogo is thought to derive from the Bambara word 'sano', meaning 'traveler' or 'wanderer'. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who traveled frequently or lived a nomadic lifestyle. Alternative spellings include Saanogo and Sanougho.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sanogo name appears in a 16th century manuscript detailing trade routes and merchants in the Mali Empire. A certain Mamadou Sanogo is listed as a wealthy merchant dealing in salt, gold, and other goods.

In the 18th century, a Islamic scholar and cleric named Amadou Sanogo gained renown for his teachings and writings on Sufism. He established a school in Timbuktu that attracted students from across West Africa. Amadou Sanogo lived from approximately 1720 to 1798.

During the colonial era in the late 19th century, a Malian military leader named Samory Sanogo led a resistance movement against French imperial forces. Though ultimately defeated, he fought for several years to preserve the autonomy of his homeland.

A more contemporary figure is Amadou Haya Sanogo, a Malian military officer who briefly took control of the government in a 2012 coup d'etat. He was born in 1972 in the town of Ségou.

Another notable Sanogo was Binta Sanogo, a pioneering Malian filmmaker active in the 1970s and 80s. She directed several acclaimed films exploring themes of African identity and women's lives.

While concentrated in Mali, the Sanogo name can also be found among the Bambara diaspora in neighboring countries like Senegal, Guinea, and Ivory Coast due to migration over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sanogo

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

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

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

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