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

Girmay, 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 Girmay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Girmay in America

Girmay is the 68770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Girmay surname appeared 286 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 Girmay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Girmay 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.

The history of the last name Girmay

The surname Girmay is believed to have originated in Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is thought to be derived from the Tigrinya language, which is spoken by the Tigrinya people, the largest ethnic group in Eritrea.

The Tigrinya word "girmay" is believed to have meant "one who is generous" or "one who is kind." This suggests that the surname may have been initially given to individuals who were known for their generosity or kindness within their communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Girmay can be found in the chronicles of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which date back to the 14th century. These chronicles mention several individuals with the surname Girmay who were influential within the church during that time period.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Dejazmach Girmay Hailu played a significant role in the resistance against the Ottoman Empire's invasion of Eritrea. Dejazmach Girmay Hailu was a military commander who led Eritrean forces in several battles against the Ottoman invaders.

Another historical figure with the surname Girmay was Ras Girmay Wolde Amlak, who lived in the late 19th century. Ras Girmay was a prominent nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the unification of Ethiopia under Emperor Menelik II.

In more recent times, the Girmay surname has been carried by several notable individuals, including Natnael Girmay, a professional cyclist from Eritrea who won the Olympic silver medal in the men's road race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Other notable individuals with the surname Girmay include Mussie Girmay, an Eritrean-American film director and producer, and Biniam Girmay, a professional cyclist from Eritrea who became the first Black African rider to win a stage at a Grand Tour when he won Stage 10 of the 2022 Giro d'Italia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Girmay

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

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 Girmay was:

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 Girmay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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