2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feleke
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "horizon" or "sky".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 591 Americans carry the last name Feleke. That puts it at #44,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 579,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feleke 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.
Bearers in the US
591
1 in 579,957
Census rank
#44,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
515
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 515 bearers of the surname Feleke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feleke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feleke
The surname FELEKE has its origins traced back to Ethiopia, where it emerged during the late 15th century. This name is believed to have derived from the Amharic word "feleke," which means "universe" or "world." It is thought to have been initially used as a descriptive surname, potentially referring to someone with a broad or expansive perspective or knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FELEKE surname can be found in the chronicles of the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled over the Ethiopian Empire from the 13th to the 20th century. These chronicles mention a nobleman named Feleke Selassie, who served as a trusted advisor to Emperor Zara Yaqob in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the FELEKE surname gained prominence among the educated and scholarly circles of Ethiopia. Notable figures from this period include Feleke Gebre Medhin (1535-1610), a renowned philosopher and theologian, and Feleke Iyesus (1590-1660), a celebrated poet and writer whose works significantly influenced the development of Amharic literature.
As Ethiopia's influence expanded in the region, the FELEKE surname also spread to neighboring countries, such as Eritrea and Somalia, where it was adopted by individuals who migrated or had cultural ties with Ethiopia. One notable bearer of this name was Feleke Gebre-Egziabher (1725-1795), an Eritrean merchant and explorer who traveled extensively throughout the Horn of Africa and documented his journeys in a series of memoirs.
In the 19th century, the FELEKE surname gained further recognition through the exploits of Feleke Gebru (1810-1882), a renowned military strategist and commander who played a pivotal role in the Battles of Gura, Gundet, and Gura-Hailu during the Ethiopian-Egyptian War of 1875-1876.
Another significant figure bearing the FELEKE surname was Feleke Gebre-Tsadik (1870-1945), an Ethiopian intellectual and educator who was instrumental in establishing modern educational systems in the country. His efforts laid the foundation for the expansion of literacy and the promotion of Amharic as the national language of Ethiopia.
Throughout its history, the FELEKE surname has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including literature, philosophy, exploration, military strategy, and education. While the name's origins can be traced back to Ethiopia, its legacy has transcended borders and continues to be carried on by individuals of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feleke
Among Census respondents with the surname Feleke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Feleke 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 Feleke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.9% · 494
- White2.1% · 11
- Two or more races1.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feleke
Feleke 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
#63,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 313
+197 bearers (+169.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 70,339 places
2020
#44,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 515
+202 bearers (+64.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 18,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,698 | 313 | 0.11 | +197 bearers (+169.8%) | Up 70,339 places |
| 2020 | #44,823 | 515 | 0.17 | +202 bearers (+64.5%) | Up 18,875 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 Feleke 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 | #63,698 | #44,823 | 29.6% |
| Count | 313 | 515 | 64.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.17 | 56.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feleke bearers went from 313 to 515 (+64.5% change). The surname moved up 18,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,698 to #44,823.
FAQ
Feleke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feleke?
Name Census estimates that about 591 living Americans carry the surname Feleke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 579,957 residents.
How common is Feleke?
Feleke ranks #44,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 515 people with the surname Feleke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Feleke.
Has Feleke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feleke went from 313 recorded bearers to 515. That is an increase of 202 (+64.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #63,698 to #44,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Feleke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feleke, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Feleke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feleke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.9%), White (2.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Feleke (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 Feleke mean?
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "horizon" or "sky". 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 Feleke (0.17 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 Feleke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.