2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ghebremichael
A surname referring to someone whose father was named Michael, of Ethio-Eritrean origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 195 Americans carry the last name Ghebremichael. That puts it at #110,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,757,715 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ghebremichael 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
195
1 in 1,757,715
Census rank
#110,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
170
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 170 bearers of the surname Ghebremichael in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 110517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghebremichael, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ghebremichael
The surname Ghebremichael originates from Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the late 19th or early 20th century when Eritrea was an Italian colony.
Ghebremichael is derived from the Tigrinya language, which is spoken by the Tigrinya ethnic group that primarily resides in Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia. The name is a combination of the words "Ghebre," meaning "servant," and "Michael," which is a reference to the Archangel Michael, a prominent figure in various Abrahamic religions.
Historical records and manuscripts from the region during the colonial era may contain references to individuals bearing this surname, but specific details are scarce due to the limited documentation from that time period. It is possible that the name was adopted by Eritreans who embraced Christianity and chose to incorporate religious elements into their surnames.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ghebremichael was Gebremichael Tekle, an Eritrean politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from Italian colonial rule in the mid-20th century. He was born in 1918 and passed away in 1988.
Another notable figure with this surname was Ghebremichael Ghebremedhin, an Eritrean diplomat and politician who served as the country's first ambassador to the United Nations after its independence in 1993. He was born in 1928 and passed away in 2020.
Ghebremichael Aberra, born in 1944, was an Eritrean politician and military leader who played a crucial role in the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) during the country's struggle for independence from Ethiopia.
Ghebremichael Tesfaghiorghis, born in 1951, is an Eritrean writer, poet, and playwright who has contributed significantly to the development of Eritrean literature and cultural expression.
Gebremichael Gebregziabher, born in 1958, is an Eritrean long-distance runner who won numerous international competitions, including the Rotterdam Marathon in 1984 and the Los Angeles Marathon in 1985.
While the surname Ghebremichael is primarily found in Eritrea, it may also be present among Eritrean diaspora communities around the world, reflecting the migration patterns of Eritreans in recent decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ghebremichael
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghebremichael, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ghebremichael 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 Ghebremichael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.9% · 158
- Two or more races2.4% · 4
- White1.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ghebremichael
Ghebremichael 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
#110,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
+56 bearers (+49.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 34,703 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #110,517 | 170 | 0.06 | +56 bearers (+49.1%) | Up 34,703 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 Ghebremichael 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 | #145,220 | #110,517 | 23.9% |
| Count | 114 | 170 | 49.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 42.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ghebremichael bearers went from 114 to 170 (+49.1% change). The surname moved up 34,703 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #110,517.
FAQ
Ghebremichael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ghebremichael?
Name Census estimates that about 195 living Americans carry the surname Ghebremichael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,757,715 residents.
How common is Ghebremichael?
Ghebremichael ranks #110,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 170 people with the surname Ghebremichael. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Ghebremichael.
Has Ghebremichael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ghebremichael went from 114 recorded bearers to 170. That is an increase of 56 (+49.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #110,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Ghebremichael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghebremichael, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.8%). 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 Ghebremichael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ghebremichael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%), White (1.8%). 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 Ghebremichael (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 Ghebremichael mean?
A surname referring to someone whose father was named Michael, of Ethio-Eritrean origin. 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 Ghebremichael (0.06 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 have the surname Ghebremichael?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.