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

Traoré, 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 Traoré surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Traoré in America

Traoré is the 14979th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Traoré surname appeared 1,973 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Traoré.

We can also compare 2010 data for Traoré 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 Traoré

The surname Traore originated in West Africa, particularly in the region now known as Mali. It is a Bambara name, with the Bambara people being one of the largest ethnic groups in Mali. The name Traore is believed to have derived from the Bambara word "traoré," which means "elephant hunter" or "one who hunts elephants."

In the 13th century, the Mali Empire, which ruled a significant portion of West Africa, was at its peak. During this time, the surname Traore was likely used among the Bambara people who were part of this empire. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to this period, although specific records from that era are scarce.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Traore was Sundiata Keita, also known as Mari Djata or Sundiata Keita Traore. He was a legendary emperor of the Mali Empire who lived from around 1190 to 1255. Sundiata Keita is celebrated as the founder of the Mali Empire and is considered a national hero in Mali.

Another notable figure with the surname Traore was Askia Muhammad I, who ruled the Songhai Empire in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was born around 1443 and died in 1538. Askia Muhammad I was a powerful ruler who expanded the Songhai Empire and is known for his military conquests and efforts to promote Islam in the region.

In the 19th century, during the colonization of West Africa by European powers, the surname Traore continued to be used among the Bambara people and other ethnic groups in the region. One notable individual from this period was Samory Touré, also known as Samori Ture or Samory Traore, who was a West African ruler and military leader. He led resistance efforts against French colonial expansion in the late 19th century.

Another significant figure with the surname Traore was Modibo Keita, a Malian politician and statesman who served as the first President of Mali from 1960 to 1968. He was born in 1915 and died in 1977. Modibo Keita played a crucial role in Mali's independence movement and the country's transition to self-governance.

As time passed, the surname Traore spread beyond Mali to other parts of West Africa, particularly in neighboring countries like Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, where the Bambara people and other ethnic groups with similar cultural ties also reside.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Traoré

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!