Mshanga Surname

42,780th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 12,167 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Zambia
Highest density in:
Zambia

Mshanga Surname User-submission:

The name, Mshanga, originates from South Africa. The actual Zulu name is Mhlanga which simply means 'reed'. The name was brought to the north by freeing Ngonis and Ndebeles. Because on their way North Ngonis integrated other groups, the Zulu pronunciation disappeared and instead Mshanga, or Mushanga replaced Mhlanga.

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Mshanga Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Zambia5,4671:2,899367
Tanzania4,7161:11,2261,458
Malawi1,8301:9,3551,452
Kenya1071:431,58823,328
Zimbabwe181:857,68057,134
England121:4,643,172139,951
South Africa61:9,029,617189,736
Morocco41:8,619,02573,251
Nigeria21:88,571,379625,098
United States21:181,229,4661,556,795
Australia11:26,995,701270,794
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
DR Congo11:73,879,570260,543

Mshanga (22) may also be a first name.

Mshanga Surname Meaning

User-submitted Reference

The name, Mshanga, originates from South Africa. The actual Zulu name is Mhlanga which simply means 'reed'. The name was brought to the north by freeing Ngonis and Ndebeles. Because on their way North Ngonis integrated other groups, the Zulu pronunciation disappeared and instead Mshanga, or Mushanga replaced Mhlanga.

Mhlanga is a very common surname among the Zulu in the south and the Ndebele including the Swatis in Zwaziland. Umhlang'a simple meaning is the reed found. Zulus and the Zwazi people attach great importance to reed. They occasionally hold a ceremony where young maids carry reeds and dance before the king.

- mwambe5

Mshanga Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Mshanga Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Mshanga occurs more in Zambia more than any other country or territory. It can be rendered as a variant:. For other possible spellings of Mshanga click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Mshanga? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 42,780th most commonly used last name worldwide, borne by approximately 1 in 598,960 people. The surname Mshanga is primarily found in Africa, where 100 percent of Mshanga live; 60 percent live in Southern Africa and 60 percent live in South Bantu Africa. It is also the 2,301,746th most frequently held first name at a global level It is held by 22 people.

The surname is most widespread in Zambia, where it is carried by 5,467 people, or 1 in 2,899. In Zambia it is most frequent in: Eastern Province, where 76 percent are found, Lusaka Province, where 13 percent are found and Muchinga Province, where 4 percent are found. Outside of Zambia this surname is found in 12 countries. It is also common in Tanzania, where 39 percent are found and Malawi, where 15 percent are found.

Mshanga Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the surname is predominantly Christian (100%) in Kenya.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Mshang'a93362/
M'Shanga9376/
Mshangai934/
Mshana9230,611/
Msanga926,866/
Mshaga9276/
Mshaninga8823/
Mshenga863,821/
Mshangi86837/
Msaanga8659/
Mshonga8640/
Mshango8621/
Mshange8612/
Msangoa868/
Msangaâ865/
Msangga863/
Msangaa863/
Mhcanga862/
Mhjanga862/
Mshanah861/
Msana83936/
Msaga83847/
Msaninga804/
M'Shahga801/
Mshangoi801/
Mchang'a801/
Msangi7738,241/
Msango774,961/
Msonga773,876/
Mzanga77567/
Msange77219/
Mjanga77124/
Msagaa7780/
Msaaga7764/
Msangy776/
Msgana773/
Mxhaga772/
Msagai772/
Msagga771/
Msagat771/
Msagah771/
Mhsana771/
Mshago771/
Msanaa771/
Mxanga771/
Msaghaa712,347/
Mshongi71143/
Msiangi7196/
Mshongo7188/
Msagath7127/
Mzangoa7117/
Mmsange714/
Msongea714/
Mshonge713/
Msangou712/
Mtjanga712/
Mshengo712/
M'Sango712/
Msongaa711/
Msongoa711/
M'Chana711/
Mhsanay711/
Msanger711/
Mcheana711/
M'Chasinga711/
Mchanaa711/
Msoonga711/
McHagga710/
McHanas710/
McHanah710/
Mzana671,041/
Mzaga67654/
Msago67370/
Msoga67357/
Mjana67236/
Mjaga6724/
Mxaga675/
M'Channa674/
Mzangaya674/
Msano674/
Mchamngo674/
Mcaga673/
Mchannah672/
Mxana671/
Msoughga671/
McHanger671/
McHanatt671/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Mshanga
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis