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

Sirleaf, 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 Sirleaf surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sirleaf in America

Sirleaf is the 60790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sirleaf surname appeared 331 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 Sirleaf.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sirleaf 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 Sirleaf

The surname SIRLEAF has its origins in West Africa, specifically in the region now known as Liberia. It is believed to have originated during the late 18th or early 19th century, when the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans began returning to the region from the Americas and the Caribbean.

The name SIRLEAF is thought to be a combination of two words – "sir" and "leaf." "Sir" was a common honorific used to address men of rank or authority, while "leaf" may have been a reference to the lush, verdant vegetation of the West African landscape. It's possible that the name was initially bestowed upon a respected individual who played a prominent role in the early settlements of the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SIRLEAF can be found in the archives of the American Colonization Society, an organization that assisted in the resettlement of free African Americans to the region that would become Liberia in the 1820s. Records from this period mention several individuals with the surname SIRLEAF among the early settlers.

In the late 19th century, a man named Robert Alfred Sirleaf (1845-1910) gained prominence as a politician and diplomat in the newly established Republic of Liberia. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and as Liberian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, helping to establish diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Another notable figure with the surname SIRLEAF was James Emmanuel Sirleaf (1876-1951), a prominent educator and administrator who played a pivotal role in establishing the University of Liberia in the early 20th century. He served as the institution's first president from 1919 to 1945.

In more recent times, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 1938) became a prominent figure on the global stage as the first elected female head of state in Africa, serving as the President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her efforts to promote peace and democracy in her country.

Other notable individuals with the surname SIRLEAF include Charles Dunbar Burgess King Sirleaf (1911-1980), a Liberian politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Joseph Nyumah Sirleaf (born 1953), a Liberian politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sirleaf

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

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

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

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