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

Senegal, 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 Senegal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Senegal in America

Senegal is the 21609th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Senegal surname appeared 1,207 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 Senegal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Senegal 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 Senegal

The surname SENEGAL originates from the West African country of Senegal, located on the Atlantic coast. It is believed to have derived from the Wolof word "Sunugal," which means "our dugout canoe" or "our boat." The name likely emerged during the 14th or 15th century when the Wolof people inhabited the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SENEGAL can be found in the travel accounts of Portuguese explorer Nuno Tristão, who visited the area in 1446. His writings mention encountering people who identified themselves as "Sunugal" or "Senegal."

In the 16th century, the French established a settlement in the region, which they called "Sénégal." This spelling became widely adopted and helped solidify the surname's modern form.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the French presence in Senegal grew, with the establishment of trading posts and colonial outposts. Records from this period often mention individuals with the SENEGAL surname, particularly those involved in trade or working for the French colonial administration.

One notable individual from this era was Amadou SENEGAL, a Wolof trader and interpreter who assisted French explorers in the late 17th century. Another was Fatima SENEGAL, a local leader who played a role in negotiations between the French and Wolof communities in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, the surname SENEGAL began appearing more frequently in European records as the French colonial presence in the region expanded. Léopold SENEGAL, a French soldier born in 1832, served in the Senegalese Tirailleurs, a colonial infantry unit.

Other historical figures with the SENEGAL surname include André SENEGAL, a French explorer and writer who traveled extensively in West Africa in the late 19th century, and Moussa SENEGAL, a Senegalese politician and activist who campaigned for independence in the early 20th century.

As the 20th century progressed, the surname SENEGAL became more widely dispersed, with individuals bearing the name found in various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Senegal

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

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

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

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