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

Demeke, 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 Demeke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Demeke in America

Demeke is the 109758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Demeke surname appeared 161 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 Demeke.

The history of the last name Demeke

The surname DEMEKE has its origins in Ethiopia. It is considered to be an Amharic surname that can be traced back to at least the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Amharic words "dem" meaning "blood" and "eke" meaning "one who has", suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who had a profession related to bloodletting or healing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DEMEKE can be found in the ecclesiastical manuscript "Fetha Negest" (The Law of Kings), which dates back to the 16th century. This manuscript contains references to individuals with the surname DEMEKE, indicating that the name was already established during that time period.

In the 17th century, the name DEMEKE appears in several land ownership records and legal documents from the Gondar region of Ethiopia. This suggests that individuals with this surname were prominent landowners and members of the nobility during that era.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname DEMEKE include Aleka Demeke (1844-1921), a prominent Ethiopian military leader and governor who played a crucial role in the Battle of Adwa against Italian forces in 1896. Another prominent individual was Afenegus Demeke (1905-1988), an influential Ethiopian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1960s.

Other individuals of note with the surname DEMEKE include:

1. Abebe Demeke (1920-1995), an Ethiopian writer and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Amharic literature and culture.
2. Desta Demeke (1889-1964), an Ethiopian nobleman and military commander who served during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie.
3. Alem Demeke (1932-2008), an Ethiopian artist renowned for his intricate paintings and illustrations depicting traditional Ethiopian life.
4. Gezahegn Demeke (1886-1952), an Ethiopian religious leader and scholar who played a significant role in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
5. Berhane Demeke (1902-1976), an Ethiopian educator and advocate for women's education who established several schools in the country.

While the surname DEMEKE has its roots in Ethiopia, it has also been adopted by individuals of Ethiopian descent living in other parts of the world, particularly in diaspora communities in North America and Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Demeke

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

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 Demeke 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.

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Demeke, 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!