Explore the Family Name Bamba

The meaning of Bamba

1. West African (mainly Ivory Coast, Mali, and Guinea): from the name of the Bamba clan of the Mandinka people, from bamba ‘crocodile’. 2. Central African (Congo): possibly from the name of the Amba (plural: Baamba) people. 3. Spanish: habitational name from a place called Bamba in Zamora province. 4. Filipino: unexplained.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Bamba significantly increased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was the 44,895th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had risen to the 25,003rd spot, reflecting a 44.31% increase in rank. The actual count of people bearing the surname also more than doubled from 450 in 2000 to 994 in 2010, denoting an impressive growth of 120.89%. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals with the Bamba surname per 100,000 people also showed a substantial increase of 100%.

20002010Change
Rank#44,895#25,00344.31%
Count450994120.89%
Proportion per 100k0.170.34100%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bamba

The ethnicity associated with the surname Bamba also saw interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander with this surname decreased by 26.28%, while those identifying with two or more races experienced a substantial drop of 45.88%. People who identified as White with the Bamba surname remained relatively stable, showing a slight decrease of 0.54%. Notably, the Black community saw a significant increase of 34.64% in individuals with the surname Bamba. There were no recorded instances of the surname among Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native communities in either year.

20002010Change
Black42.44%57.14%34.64%
Asian/Pacific Islander40.67%29.98%-26.28%
White5.56%5.53%-0.54%
Two or More Races8%4.33%-45.88%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%