Ayele last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ayele

A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "he is my helper".

Ayele, 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 Ayele surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ayele in America

Ayele is the 28829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ayele surname appeared 825 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 Ayele.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ayele 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 28829 53047 -59.16%
Count 825 366 77.08%
Proportion per 100k 0.28 0.14 66.67%

The history of the last name Ayele

The surname Ayele has its origin in Ethiopia, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Amharic word "ayele," which means "to go" or "to proceed." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were known for their travels or journeys.

During the era of the Solomonic dynasty in Ethiopia, which ruled from the 13th to the 20th century, the name Ayele appeared in several historical documents and records. One notable example is the mention of an individual named Ayele Geta, who served as a trusted advisor to Emperor Zara Yaqob in the late 15th century.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Ayele Maryam was a renowned scholar and religious leader in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He authored several influential texts on theology and played a significant role in shaping the religious discourse of his time.

The name Ayele also appears in the annals of Ethiopian history during the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th century. Ayele Gebresellassie was a notable military commander who led Ethiopian forces against Italian invaders during the First Italo-Ethiopian War.

In more recent times, Ayele Solomon was a celebrated Ethiopian playwright and novelist, born in 1935. His works explored themes of cultural identity, tradition, and modernity, and he was widely regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of his generation.

Another notable individual with the surname Ayele is Ayele Negussie, an Ethiopian long-distance runner born in 1986. He has represented his country in various international competitions, including the Olympic Games and World Championships, and has won several prestigious marathons and road races.

While the surname Ayele has its roots in Ethiopia, it has spread across the globe due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and notable figures mentioned above illustrate the rich cultural and linguistic heritage associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ayele

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

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 Ayele was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 1.45% 12
Non-Hispanic Black Only 94.79% 782
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.61% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.58% 13
Hispanic Origin 1.58% 13

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 Ayele has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 1.45% 4.10% -95.50%
Black 94.79% 78.42% 18.90%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.61% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.58% 14.21% -159.97%
Hispanic 1.58% 2.19% -32.36%

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 Ayele was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Ayele last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ayele-surname-popularity/.

"Ayele last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ayele-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Ayele last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ayele-surname-popularity/.

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