2000
#25,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Abebe
A surname of Ethiopian origin, meaning "he has seen the Nile" or "he has crossed the river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,715 Americans carry the last name Abebe. That puts it at #9,595 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abebe surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Abebe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,262
Census rank
#9,595
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,240 bearers of the surname Abebe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9595th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abebe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and White (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abebe
The surname ABEBE has its origins in Ethiopia, where it is a common Amharic name. The name is thought to be derived from the Ge'ez word "ababa," meaning "flower" or "blossom." This suggests that the name may have originally been bestowed upon individuals with a connection to nature or agriculture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ABEBE can be found in the Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century account of the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon. The text mentions an individual named Abebe, who was a prominent figure in the court of the Ethiopian empire.
The name ABEBE also appears in various historical documents and manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries, including the chronicles of Emperor Susenyos I and the writings of the renowned Ethiopian scholar and philosopher, Zera Yacob.
Notable individuals with the surname ABEBE throughout history include:
1. Abebe Bikila (1932-1973), an Ethiopian marathon runner who won the Olympic gold medal in 1960 and 1964, setting a world record and becoming the first athlete to compete barefoot in the marathon.
2. Abebe Aregai (1903-1965), an Ethiopian politician and military leader who played a crucial role in the struggle against Italian occupation during World War II.
3. Abebe Mekonnen (1915-1995), an Ethiopian diplomat and statesman who served as the country's Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States.
4. Abebe Tsamere (1855-1927), an Ethiopian military leader and commander who fought against the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in the late 19th century.
5. Abebe Gelaw (1925-2010), an Ethiopian writer and poet renowned for his contributions to Amharic literature and his advocacy for social justice.
The surname ABEBE is deeply rooted in Ethiopian history and culture, with its origins dating back centuries. While its meaning may have evolved over time, the name continues to hold significance and pride for those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abebe
Among Census respondents with the surname Abebe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and White (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Abebe bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Abebe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.3% · 3,119
- Two or more races1.4% · 44
- White1.2% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abebe
Abebe appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
+1,080 bearers (+119.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 10,697 places
2020
#9,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,240
+1,255 bearers (+63.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 5,318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,610 | 905 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,913 | 1,985 | 0.67 | +1,080 bearers (+119.3%) | Up 10,697 places |
| 2020 | #9,595 | 3,240 | 1.08 | +1,255 bearers (+63.2%) | Up 5,318 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Abebe surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,913 | #9,595 | 35.7% |
| Count | 1,985 | 3,240 | 63.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 1.08 | 61.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abebe bearers went from 1,985 to 3,240 (+63.2% change). The surname moved up 5,318 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,913 to #9,595.
FAQ
Abebe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abebe?
Name Census estimates that about 3,715 living Americans carry the surname Abebe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,262 residents.
How common is Abebe?
Abebe ranks #9,595 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,240 people with the surname Abebe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Abebe.
Has Abebe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abebe went from 1,985 recorded bearers to 3,240. That is an increase of 1,255 (+63.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,913 to #9,595.
What does the Census say about the background of Abebe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abebe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and White (1.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abebe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (3,119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abebe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.3%), Two or More Races (1.4%), White (1.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Abebe (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Abebe mean?
A surname of Ethiopian origin, meaning "he has seen the Nile" or "he has crossed the river." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Abebe (1.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Abebe?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Abebe, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.