Explore the Family Name Kamara
The meaning of Kamara
1. West African (mainly Sierra Leone and Liberia): from the name of the Kamara clan of the Mandinka and, subsequently, Sierra Leonean Temne and Limba peoples, possibly ultimately derived from Arabic qamar ‘moon’. Compare Camara 2. 2. In some cases also Hungarian: from kamara ‘little room’, from Latin camera or camara ‘house, room, royal treasury’. It may also be an American shortened form of Hungarian Kamarás, a status name for the treasurer of a court or of the royal household, or alternatively for a chamberlain. Some characteristic forenames: African/Muslim Abu, Isatu, Mohamed, Abdul, Hassan, Ibrahim, Zainab, Fatmata, Aminata, Foday, Idrissa, Kadijatu, Mohammed, Musa, Siaka, Abass, Abdulai, Alimamy, Amadu, Ansumana, Dauda, Fatima, Mamadou, Mariama.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kamara in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kamara significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Kamara was ranked as the 11,095th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had jumped to the 5,530th spot, marking an over 50% increase. The count of individuals with this surname more than doubled from 2,627 to 6,288 during the same period, also showing an increase of approximately 139%. The proportion of people named Kamara per 100,000 also went up by about 120%, from 0.97 to 2.13.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,095 | #5,530 | 50.16% |
| Count | 2,627 | 6,288 | 139.36% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.97 | 2.13 | 119.59% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kamara
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts within the Kamara surname bearers between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander dropped dramatically by 67.38%, while the share of individuals identifying with two or more races saw a similar decrease of nearly 70%. The percentage of Whites decreased slightly by 22%, while there were no Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native Kamara surname bearers recorded in 2000, these categories showed increases in 2010. However, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as Black, with their share increasing from 87.82% in 2000 to 93.91% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 87.82% | 93.91% | 6.93% |
| White | 4% | 3.12% | -22% |
| Two or More Races | 6.01% | 1.81% | -69.88% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0.62% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.41% | 0.46% | -67.38% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.08% | 0% |