Find out how popular the last name Alemayehu is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alemayehu.

Alemayehu, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alemayehu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alemayehu in America

Alemayehu is the 29947th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alemayehu surname appeared 784 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alemayehu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alemayehu to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alemayehu

The surname ALEMAYEHU is of Amharic origin, originating from the Ethiopian region of East Africa. The name is believed to have emerged during the late 18th or early 19th century.

ALEMAYEHU is derived from the Amharic words "alem," meaning "world," and "ayehu," meaning "I have seen." The combined meaning of the name is often interpreted as "I have seen the world" or "Knower of the world." This name likely originated as a descriptive name or a nickname, possibly given to someone who had traveled extensively or possessed a broad knowledge of the world.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name ALEMAYEHU can be found in the chronicles of Emperor Tewodros II, who ruled Ethiopia from 1855 to 1868. The emperor had a son named ALEMAYEHU, who was born around 1861. After the emperor's defeat in the Battle of Magdala in 1868, the young ALEMAYEHU was taken to Britain as a prisoner of war and lived in exile until his death in 1879 at the age of 18.

Another notable figure with the surname ALEMAYEHU was Lij ALEMAYEHU, who was the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie I. Lij ALEMAYEHU was born in 1924 and held various positions within the Ethiopian government and military during his lifetime.

In the modern era, the name ALEMAYEHU has been carried by several prominent individuals, including:

1. ALEMAYEHU Eshete (born 1941), an Ethiopian singer and musician.
2. ALEMAYEHU Shumye (1939-2018), an Ethiopian writer and poet.
3. ALEMAYEHU Gebrehiwot (born 1979), an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
4. ALEMAYEHU Degefa (born 1985), an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
5. ALEMAYEHU Astawes (born 1985), an Ethiopian long-distance runner.

While the surname ALEMAYEHU is predominantly found in Ethiopia, it has also been carried by individuals of Ethiopian descent living in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Ethiopian diaspora populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alemayehu

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alemayehu.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alemayehu was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alemayehu has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alemayehu was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alemayehu, please contact us.

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