History

The history of the ukulele

From Madeira to Honolulu to San Francisco, in short steps, each with its source.

From Portugal and Madeira to Hawaiʻi

The ukulele is a small guitar that comes from the machete, a four-stringed guitar brought to Hawaii by the Portuguese in the 1870s. Britannica: ukulele The ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument, but it grew out of Portuguese instruments: the machete do braça, the braguinha, the rajão and the cavaquinho. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

The first ukulele makers in Hawaiʻi were men from Madeira, who came on the ship SS Ravenscrag in 1879 to work on the sugar plantations. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele A cabinet maker, Miguel Nunes, opened the first ukulele workshop in Honolulu in 1880. Augusto Dias and Jose do Espirito Santo later opened workshops too. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

A Hawaiian instrument

Queen Liliʻuokalani considered the ukulele the national instrument of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in the late 1800s. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele Queen Liliʻuokalani wrote the famous song “Aloha ʻOe”. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

What does the name mean?

Britannica says the name ukulele is Hawaiian for “flea”. Britannica: ukulele In Hawaiian, ʻuku means flea and lele means to jump. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

The Smithsonian gives three possible explanations for the name: jumping fleas, jumping men, or a gift from afar. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

• One idea is that players’ fingers jump so quickly across the fretboard that they look like jumping fleas. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
• Another idea is that after the 123-day voyage of the SS Ravenscrag a musician burst into a jumpy song and dance that reminded people of leaping fleas. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
• Queen Liliʻuokalani read uku as “gift”, giving the meaning “a gift that came from afar”. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

The two sources side by side: see when sources disagree.

Famous around the world

Americans first met the ukulele at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the great 1915 ukulele craze The ukulele became famous around the world after the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

The 1915 exposition celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and had over 17 million visitors. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele As many as 34,000 people a day are estimated to have visited the small Hawaiian Building at the 1915 exposition. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the great 1915 ukulele craze

The banjo ukulele was created in early 1916, to meet the demand for a louder ukulele. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the great 1915 ukulele craze

The 20th century and today

In the 20th century the ukulele was played in Europe and the United States as a jazz and solo instrument. Britannica: ukulele Players have shown that the ukulele has a broad range and can be played in almost any style of music. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele

Today the ukulele is loved because it is fairly easy to play, easy to carry and has a light-hearted sound. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the great 1915 ukulele craze

Timeline

1. 1870s The Portuguese bring the machete, a four-stringed guitar, to Hawaii. Britannica: ukulele
2. 1879 Men from Madeira arrive on the SS Ravenscrag to work on the sugar plantations. They become the first ukulele makers in Hawaiʻi. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
3. 1880 Miguel Nunes opens the first ukulele workshop in Honolulu. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
4. Late 1800s Queen Liliʻuokalani considers the ukulele the national instrument of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
5. 1893 Americans first meet the ukulele at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the great 1915 ukulele craze
6. 1915 The Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco makes the ukulele famous around the world. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: 5 things you probably didn’t know about the ‘ukulele
7. Early 1916 The banjo ukulele is created, to meet the demand for a louder ukulele. Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the great 1915 ukulele craze
8. 20th century The ukulele is played in Europe and the United States as a jazz and solo instrument. Britannica: ukulele