2000
#40,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 513
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Rare Last name
Beyene
An Ethiopian surname referring to one's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,081 Americans carry the last name Beyene. That puts it at #15,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beyene 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 Beyene with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,707
Census rank
#15,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,815 bearers of the surname Beyene in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beyene, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beyene
The surname BEYENE has its origins in Ethiopia, tracing back to the 15th century or earlier. It is derived from the Amharic language, spoken in the northern and central regions of the country. The name is believed to be a variation of the word "bey" or "bey-ena," which means "to multiply" or "to increase."
This surname was particularly prominent among the Amhara people, an ethnic group that historically dominated the Ethiopian highlands. It is likely that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals or families known for their prosperity, fertility, or expansive lineages.
In the 16th century, during the reign of the Solomonic dynasty, records mention individuals bearing the BEYENE name as landowners and nobles within the imperial court. One notable figure was Abba Beyene, a influential churchman and advisor to Emperor Zara Yaqob (1434-1468).
The earliest known written reference to the BEYENE surname can be found in the chronicles of the 17th-century Ethiopian philosopher and historian, Alaqa Tawalda Madhin. He documented the exploits of a military commander named Gera Beyene, who played a crucial role in the battles against the Ottoman-backed forces invading the region.
In the 19th century, during the era of the Zemene Mesafint ("Era of Princes"), the BEYENE name was associated with several prominent figures. Ras Beyene Gassahu (1796-1853) was a powerful warlord and ruler of the Yejju province, while Dejjazmach Beyene Gebre (1825-1892) was a renowned military leader and governor of the Wollo region.
Another noteworthy individual was Blatta Beyene Petros (1855-1936), a renowned Ethiopian intellectual, author, and translator who played a significant role in the country's cultural and literary renaissance during the reign of Emperor Menelik II.
In more recent times, the BEYENE surname has been carried by notable individuals such as Dejazmatch Beyene Merid (1897-1971), a respected military leader and governor who served under Emperor Haile Selassie, and Mammo Beyene (1926-2005), a renowned Ethiopian artist and sculptor whose works celebrated the country's cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beyene
Among Census respondents with the surname Beyene, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Beyene 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 Beyene surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.6% · 1,754
- White1.4% · 26
- Two or more races0.9% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beyene
Beyene 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
#22,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,131
+618 bearers (+120.5%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 17,530 places
2020
#15,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,815
+684 bearers (+60.5%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 7,148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,203 | 513 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,673 | 1,131 | 0.38 | +618 bearers (+120.5%) | Up 17,530 places |
| 2020 | #15,525 | 1,815 | 0.61 | +684 bearers (+60.5%) | Up 7,148 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 Beyene 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 | #22,673 | #15,525 | 31.5% |
| Count | 1,131 | 1,815 | 60.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.61 | 59.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beyene bearers went from 1,131 to 1,815 (+60.5% change). The surname moved up 7,148 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,673 to #15,525.
FAQ
Beyene surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beyene?
Name Census estimates that about 2,081 living Americans carry the surname Beyene. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,707 residents.
How common is Beyene?
Beyene ranks #15,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,815 people with the surname Beyene. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Beyene.
Has Beyene become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beyene went from 1,131 recorded bearers to 1,815. That is an increase of 684 (+60.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,673 to #15,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Beyene?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beyene, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Beyene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (1,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beyene appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.6%), White (1.4%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Beyene (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 Beyene mean?
An Ethiopian surname referring to one's place of origin. 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 Beyene (0.61 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 many people share the surname Beyene?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.