2000
#95,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Gebremichael
A surname from Ethiopia meaning "servant of Michael".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 818 Americans carry the last name Gebremichael. That puts it at #34,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 419,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gebremichael 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
818
1 in 419,015
Census rank
#34,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
713
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 713 bearers of the surname Gebremichael in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebremichael, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gebremichael
The surname GEBREMICHAEL is of Ethiopian origin, derived from the Amharic language spoken in that country. It is a compound name formed by combining the words "Gebre" meaning "servant" and "Michael" which refers to the archangel Michael. The name likely originated during the early Christian era in Ethiopia, when the country adopted Christianity as its state religion in the 4th century.
The name GEBREMICHAEL can be traced back to historical records from medieval Ethiopia, particularly in religious manuscripts and chronicles. One notable early reference is found in the 14th-century Kebra Nagast, a literary work that recounts the alleged lineage of the Solomonic dynasty in Ethiopia, which claimed descent from the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In this text, a figure named GEBREMICHAEL is mentioned as a prominent warrior and advisor to Emperor Amda Seyon I, who reigned from 1314 to 1344.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals bearing the name GEBREMICHAEL are documented in various annals and accounts from the region. One such figure was GEBREMICHAEL of Shewa, a powerful military leader and governor who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Ethiopian Empire and the Ottoman Empire during the late 16th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was GEBREMICHAEL Walda Maryam, a prominent scholar and abbot who lived in the early 17th century. He was known for his contributions to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and his writings on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, GEBREMICHAEL Yohannes, born in 1827 and died in 1889, was an influential Ethiopian ruler who served as the Negus (King) of Tigray and later became the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death. He played a crucial role in defending Ethiopia against the encroaching colonial powers of the time, particularly the Italians.
The name GEBREMICHAEL has also been associated with various geographic locations within Ethiopia, such as the town of Gebremichael in the Amhara Region, which likely derived its name from an individual or family bearing the surname.
Throughout the centuries, the name GEBREMICHAEL has maintained its significance and prominence within the Ethiopian cultural and historical context, reflecting the country's rich heritage and its strong ties to the Orthodox Christian tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gebremichael
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebremichael, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gebremichael 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 Gebremichael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.2% · 693
- Two or more races1.1% · 8
- White1.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gebremichael
Gebremichael 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
#53,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 388
+211 bearers (+119.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 42,251 places
2020
#34,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 713
+325 bearers (+83.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 19,055 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #95,567 | 177 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,316 | 388 | 0.13 | +211 bearers (+119.2%) | Up 42,251 places |
| 2020 | #34,261 | 713 | 0.24 | +325 bearers (+83.8%) | Up 19,055 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 Gebremichael 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 | #53,316 | #34,261 | 35.7% |
| Count | 388 | 713 | 83.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.24 | 83.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gebremichael bearers went from 388 to 713 (+83.8% change). The surname moved up 19,055 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,316 to #34,261.
FAQ
Gebremichael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gebremichael?
Name Census estimates that about 818 living Americans carry the surname Gebremichael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 419,015 residents.
How common is Gebremichael?
Gebremichael ranks #34,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 713 people with the surname Gebremichael. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (818), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Gebremichael.
Has Gebremichael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gebremichael went from 388 recorded bearers to 713. That is an increase of 325 (+83.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #53,316 to #34,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Gebremichael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebremichael, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (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 Gebremichael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gebremichael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (97.2%), Two or More Races (1.1%), White (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 Gebremichael (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 Gebremichael mean?
A surname from Ethiopia meaning "servant of Michael". 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 Gebremichael (0.24 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 Americans have the surname Gebremichael?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.