2000
#99,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Getahun
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "reborn".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 821 Americans carry the last name Getahun. That puts it at #34,148 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 417,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Getahun 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
821
1 in 417,484
Census rank
#34,148
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
716
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 716 bearers of the surname Getahun in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34148th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Getahun, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Getahun
The surname Getahun has its origins in Ethiopia, deriving from the Amharic language spoken in the country. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th to 16th centuries, when Amharic developed as a distinct language from the Semitic root language.
Getahun is a combination of two Amharic words: "geta," meaning "holiday" or "feast," and "hun," which is a possessive suffix indicating ownership or belonging. Thus, the name can be interpreted as "one who has a holiday" or "one associated with a feast." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who held important roles during religious or cultural celebrations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Getahun can be found in the chronicles of the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled Ethiopia from the 13th to the 20th century. In these historical accounts, there are mentions of individuals bearing the name Getahun, often in relation to religious or court ceremonies.
Notable individuals with the surname Getahun include Getahun Tsige, a 16th-century scholar and poet renowned for his contributions to Amharic literature. Another prominent figure was Getahun Wolde Semayat, a 19th-century statesman and diplomat who played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and various European nations.
In the 20th century, Getahun Neway was a celebrated Ethiopian novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of social justice and cultural identity. His seminal novel, "Yefikir Anbessa," published in 1962, is considered a landmark work in Amharic literature.
Getahun Mekuria, born in 1935, was a notable Ethiopian painter and sculptor whose works were heavily influenced by traditional Ethiopian art and culture. His sculptures and paintings adorned many public spaces and institutions across the country, cementing his legacy as a significant figure in Ethiopian art.
Another noteworthy individual was Getahun Bilata, a prominent Ethiopian athlete who excelled in long-distance running. He won multiple international marathons and represented Ethiopia in several Olympic Games, including the 1972 Munich Olympics and the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
While the surname Getahun has its origins in Ethiopia, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the Amharic people of Ethiopia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Getahun
Among Census respondents with the surname Getahun, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Getahun 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 Getahun surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.5% · 691
- Two or more races1.7% · 12
- White0.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Getahun
Getahun 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
#48,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 431
+263 bearers (+156.5%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 50,824 places
2020
#34,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 716
+285 bearers (+66.1%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 14,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,725 | 168 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,901 | 431 | 0.15 | +263 bearers (+156.5%) | Up 50,824 places |
| 2020 | #34,148 | 716 | 0.24 | +285 bearers (+66.1%) | Up 14,753 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 Getahun 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 | #48,901 | #34,148 | 30.2% |
| Count | 431 | 716 | 66.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.24 | 59.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Getahun bearers went from 431 to 716 (+66.1% change). The surname moved up 14,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,901 to #34,148.
FAQ
Getahun surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Getahun?
Name Census estimates that about 821 living Americans carry the surname Getahun. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 417,484 residents.
How common is Getahun?
Getahun ranks #34,148 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 716 people with the surname Getahun. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (821), 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 Getahun.
Has Getahun become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Getahun went from 431 recorded bearers to 716. That is an increase of 285 (+66.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,901 to #34,148.
What does the Census say about the background of Getahun?
Among Census respondents with the surname Getahun, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (0.8%). 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 Getahun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Getahun appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%), White (0.8%). 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 Getahun (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 Getahun mean?
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "reborn". 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 Getahun (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 people share the surname Getahun?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.