2010
#87,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Gebretsadik
An Amharic surname meaning "servant of the prominent one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 404 Americans carry the last name Gebretsadik. That puts it at #61,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 848,402 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gebretsadik 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
404
1 in 848,402
Census rank
#61,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
352
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 352 bearers of the surname Gebretsadik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebretsadik, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gebretsadik
The surname GEBRETSADIK is of Ethiopian origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Semitic languages of the region. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, when Ethiopia was a powerful kingdom renowned for its rich cultural heritage and religious traditions.
One of the earliest known references to the name GEBRETSADIK can be found in the Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century literary work that chronicles the legendary origins of the Solomonic dynasty in Ethiopia. This text, written in Ge'ez, the ancient Semitic language of the region, likely contains the earliest recorded instances of this surname.
The name GEBRETSADIK is derived from the combination of two Ge'ez words: "gebra" meaning "servant" or "slave," and "tsadik," which translates to "righteous" or "just." Together, the name can be interpreted as "servant of the righteous one," possibly referring to a person's devotion to their faith or their role within a religious or spiritual community.
Throughout the centuries, the GEBRETSADIK name has been associated with several notable figures in Ethiopian history. One such individual was Gebra Masqal Gebretsadik, a 15th-century Ethiopian monk and scholar who was known for his contributions to the preservation and dissemination of ancient Ethiopian literary works.
Another prominent bearer of the GEBRETSADIK name was Abba Gebretsadik, a 16th-century Ethiopian priest and theologian who played a significant role in the religious and intellectual life of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church during his time.
In the 17th century, a figure named Gebretsadik Desta gained recognition as a skilled military leader and strategist, serving as a commander in the army of Emperor Fasilides. His exploits were recorded in various chronicles and histories of the period.
Moving into the 19th century, Gebretsadik Zemede was a renowned Ethiopian scholar and linguist who made important contributions to the study and preservation of the Ge'ez language and its literary traditions.
Finally, in more recent times, Gebretsadik Gebre-Egziabher was a prominent Ethiopian diplomat and statesman who served as the country's ambassador to several nations, including the United States, in the latter half of the 20th century.
While the specific origins and earliest known bearers of the GEBRETSADIK surname may be shrouded in the mists of time, its enduring presence throughout Ethiopian history is a testament to its cultural significance and the profound impact of those who have carried this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gebretsadik
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebretsadik, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gebretsadik 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 Gebretsadik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.7% · 344
- Two or more races1.7% · 6
- White0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gebretsadik
Gebretsadik appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#61,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
+139 bearers (+65.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 25,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #87,335 | 213 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #61,594 | 352 | 0.12 | +139 bearers (+65.3%) | Up 25,741 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 Gebretsadik 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 | #87,335 | #61,594 | 29.5% |
| Count | 213 | 352 | 65.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.12 | 68.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gebretsadik bearers went from 213 to 352 (+65.3% change). The surname moved up 25,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,335 to #61,594.
FAQ
Gebretsadik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gebretsadik?
Name Census estimates that about 404 living Americans carry the surname Gebretsadik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 848,402 residents.
How common is Gebretsadik?
Gebretsadik ranks #61,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 352 people with the surname Gebretsadik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Gebretsadik.
Has Gebretsadik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gebretsadik went from 213 recorded bearers to 352. That is an increase of 139 (+65.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #87,335 to #61,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Gebretsadik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebretsadik, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (0.6%). 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 Gebretsadik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gebretsadik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (97.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%), White (0.6%). 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 Gebretsadik (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 Gebretsadik mean?
An Amharic surname meaning "servant of the prominent one". 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 Gebretsadik (0.12 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 common is the surname Gebretsadik?
Find out how common the surname Gebretsadik is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.