Without no iota of doubt, Kamara is the most popular name in Sierra Leone. In fact, a study conducted by Forebears indicates that 1 in every 5 Sierra Leonean carries a Kamara surname.

Surnames, like many other African countries, play an important role in the everyday lives of Sierra Leoneans. They serve as a form of family identification and some cases region and ethnicity of an individual. They symbols of belonging to a clan and a lineage. The significance of this cannot be overemphasised given the fact that Sierra Leone, about the size of Ireland, has about 18 ethnic groups scattered all over the country.

This is a contribution to the West African country’s rich cultural mosaic.

Although most surnames in Sierra Leone come from rich indigenous and local history, some are actually influenced by European culture and traditions. For instance, the Johnson, which is most popular name (over 79,000) among the Krios comes from European culture and traditions. However, most Sierra Leonean names are from Mande origin albeit some are corrupted. For instance, the Conteh surname (the fifth most popular surname with over 310,000 carriers) comes from the Mande names Condé and Kanté. This name is popular among ethnic groups in Northern Sierra Leone including the Temnes, Limbas, Susu, Loko, Korankos and a few Mandingos who settled in Foredugu and some parts of Lokomasama during the decline of the Wassolou Empire (Samori Toure’s Empire in Guinea and parts of Mali.

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Similarly some surnames are derived from objects and animals. This is especially popular among the Mendes in Southern and some parts of Eastern Sierra Leone. For instance, the Mende surname Kiawu could be roughly translated to Snake Head.

Other popular surnames in Sierra Leone according to Surnam.ES after Kamara include Sesay (384,739), Koroma (352,045) and Bangura (310,010).

See photo below for a list of some of the most popular surnames in Sierra Leone according to Surnam.ES