Gessesse last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gessesse

A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "to expand" or "to grow".

Gessesse, 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 Gessesse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gessesse in America

Gessesse is the 111988th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gessesse surname appeared 157 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 Gessesse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gessesse to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 111988 143847 -24.91%
Count 157 106 38.78%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.04 22.22%

The history of the last name Gessesse

The surname GESSESSE has its origins in the African country of Ethiopia. It is believed to have first emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Amharic language, which is one of the main languages spoken in Ethiopia.

GESSESSE is thought to be a variant spelling of the Amharic word "gesesse," which means "priest" or "clergyman." This suggests that the surname may have initially been used to identify individuals who held religious positions within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which has played a significant role in the country's history and culture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GESSESSE surname can be found in a 14th-century manuscript detailing the lives of prominent Ethiopian religious figures. The document mentions a monk named Gebre GESSESSE, who was renowned for his piety and wisdom.

During the 16th century, the name GESSESSE appeared in chronicles documenting the reign of Emperor Gelawdewos (1540-1559). These records mention a trusted advisor to the emperor named Abuna GESSESSE, who played a crucial role in diplomatic negotiations and religious affairs of the time.

In the 18th century, a notable figure named Walda GESSESSE (1730-1805) gained prominence as a respected scholar and writer. His works on Ethiopian history, theology, and literature have been widely studied and preserved.

Another individual of historical significance was Ras GESSESSE (1810-1875), a military commander and provincial ruler during the Era of Princes in Ethiopia. He was known for his strategic military victories and his efforts to consolidate power in the region he governed.

The GESSESSE surname has also been associated with several notable religious figures throughout Ethiopian history. One such individual was Abuna Petros GESSESSE (1892-1962), who served as the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church from 1959 until his death in 1962.

While the GESSESSE surname originated in Ethiopia, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural and religious traditions of the Ethiopian people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gessesse

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

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 Gessesse was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Black Only 95.54% 150
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gessesse has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White (S)% (S)% (S)%
Black 95.54% 84.91% 11.78%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 12.26% (S)%
Hispanic 0.00% (S)% (S)%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gessesse, please contact us.

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"Gessesse last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gessesse-surname-popularity/.

"Gessesse last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gessesse-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 December, 2024

Gessesse last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gessesse-surname-popularity/.

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