Bemnet
An Amharic name derived from "bemen" meaning "obedient" or "follower".
Name Census estimates that about 129 living Americans carry the first name Bemnet. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Bemnet today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bemnet births was 2018 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bemnet. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
129
~ 1 in 2,657,010 Americans
Peak year
2018
15 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2018 SSA rank
#9,628
Tracked since 2001
Census
Bemnet in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 312 people with the first name Bemnet, which placed it at #28,685 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,685
National first-name rank
People counted
312
312 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bemnet
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bemnet is Black at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and White (0.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bemnet described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Bemnet at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.4% · 304
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 5
- White0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Bemnet
Bemnet is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 130 total registrations, 36 (27.7%) were male and 94 (72.3%) were female.
Bemnet as a male name
- Ranked #9,796 in 2018
- 7 male births in 2018
- Peak: 2013 (9 births)
Bemnet as a female name
- Ranked #9,628 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (12 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Bemnet on both sides of the split. Of the 309 people counted with this name, 130 were male (42.1%) and 179 were female (57.9%).
Popularity
Bemnet: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bemnet from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 90 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bemnet by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bemnet during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bemnet
The name Bemnet has its origins in the Amharic language, which is the official language of Ethiopia. The name is believed to have been derived from the Amharic word "bemen," which means "with the help of." Amharic is a Semitic language that has been spoken in the region for centuries, with its roots traced back to the ancient Ge'ez language.
Bemnet is a name that has been used in Ethiopia for many generations, and its popularity can be attributed to the country's rich cultural and religious heritage. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which has a significant influence on the country's culture and traditions, the name Bemnet is often associated with the concept of divine assistance and guidance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bemnet can be found in the Ge'ez literature, which dates back to the 4th century AD. The Ge'ez manuscripts, which were written in the ancient Ethiopic script, contain numerous references to individuals bearing this name, indicating its widespread use in the region during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Bemnet. One of the most prominent was Bemnet Gebregziabher (1922-1988), an Ethiopian politician who served as the President of the Derg, a military junta that ruled the country from 1974 to 1987. Another notable figure was Bemnet Tafesse (1925-1998), an Ethiopian artist renowned for his intricate paintings and murals depicting religious and cultural themes.
In the realm of literature, Bemnet Wolde-Semayat (1940-2021) was a celebrated Ethiopian poet and playwright whose works explored themes of identity, tradition, and social change. Bemnet Kebede (1872-1934) was a prominent Ethiopian scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the preservation of the country's oral traditions and historical records.
Bemnet Tesfahun (1968-present) is a contemporary Ethiopian athlete who has represented her country in numerous international competitions, including the Olympic Games. She is renowned for her achievements in long-distance running and has inspired many young athletes in Ethiopia and beyond.
It is important to note that while the name Bemnet has its roots in the Amharic language and Ethiopian culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world due to the diaspora and cultural exchange. However, the core meaning and historical significance of the name remain closely tied to its Ethiopian origins.
People
Bemnet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bemnet as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bemnet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bemnet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 129 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bemnet going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,657,010 US residents.
Is Bemnet a common name?
We classify Bemnet as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bemnet most popular?
The single biggest year for Bemnet was 2018, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bemnet is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bemnet in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 312 people with the name Bemnet, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,685 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Bemnet in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bemnet?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Bemnet on both sides of the split. Of the 309 people counted with this name, 130 were male (42.1%) and 179 were female (57.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bemnet?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bemnet is Black at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and White (0.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Bemnet most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Bemnet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (304 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bemnet in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bemnet a female name?
Yes, 72.3% of people registered as Bemnet in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bemnet still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bemnet in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bemnet can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Bemnet?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Bemnet on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.