Explore the Family Name Ajala

The meaning of Ajala

West African (Nigeria): from the Yoruba personal name Àjàlá, a praise name understood in Yoruba as meaning ‘one destined to fight and wear down his opponent’. The element à forms abstract nouns from verb phrases.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ajala in the United States?

The surname Ajala has seen a notable increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010, as per data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The ranking of the surname jumped from 86,992 to 64,388 during this period, which is a significant rise of approximately 26 percent. Furthermore, the number of individuals carrying the Ajala surname also grew from 199 to 309, marking a substantial growth rate of over 55 percent. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 of the U.S. population also rose by about 43 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#86,992#64,38825.98%
Count19930955.28%
Proportion per 100k0.070.142.86%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ajala

As for ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that individuals with the Ajala surname primarily identify as Black, with a substantial increase seen from 61.31 percent in 2000 to 78.32 percent in 2010. Moreover, there was a notable decrease in the Hispanic category, dropping from 32.66 percent in 2000 to 17.80 percent in 2010. The percentage identifying as White also decreased slightly. There were no Ajala individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year, while those identifying with two or more races disappeared entirely in 2010.

20002010Change
Black61.31%78.32%27.74%
Hispanic32.66%17.8%-45.5%
White3.52%2.59%-26.42%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races2.51%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%