2000
#41,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Rare Last name
Traore
A Senegalese surname of Soninke origin, possibly derived from the word "Taraore," meaning "one who is well-dressed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,539 Americans carry the last name Traore. That puts it at #9,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Traore surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Traore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,851
Census rank
#9,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,086 bearers of the surname Traore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Traore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Traore
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Traore
Among Census respondents with the surname Traore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Traore bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Traore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.8% · 2,832
- Two or more races3.0% · 92
- White2.9% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Traore
Traore appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,973
+1,478 bearers (+298.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 26,469 places
2020
#9,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,086
+1,113 bearers (+56.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 5,000 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,448 | 495 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,979 | 1,973 | 0.67 | +1,478 bearers (+298.6%) | Up 26,469 places |
| 2020 | #9,979 | 3,086 | 1.03 | +1,113 bearers (+56.4%) | Up 5,000 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Traore surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,979 | #9,979 | 33.4% |
| Count | 1,973 | 3,086 | 56.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 1.03 | 54.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Traore bearers went from 1,973 to 3,086 (+56.4% change). The surname moved up 5,000 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,979 to #9,979.
FAQ
Traore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Traore?
Name Census estimates that about 3,539 living Americans carry the surname Traore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,851 residents.
How common is Traore?
Traore ranks #9,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,086 people with the surname Traore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,539), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Traore.
Has Traore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Traore went from 1,973 recorded bearers to 3,086. That is an increase of 1,113 (+56.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,979 to #9,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Traore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Traore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Traore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,832 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Traore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), White (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Traore (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Traore mean?
A Senegalese surname of Soninke origin, possibly derived from the word "Taraore," meaning "one who is well-dressed." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Traore (1.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Traore?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Traore at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.