2000
#29,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Rare Last name
Kidane
An Amharic surname meaning "being or of the path" or "righteousness".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,324 Americans carry the last name Kidane. That puts it at #14,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kidane 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kidane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,485
Census rank
#14,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,027 bearers of the surname Kidane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kidane
The surname KIDANE has its origins in Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is derived from the Tigrinya language, which is one of the Semitic languages spoken in Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia. The name KIDANE is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
KIDANE is thought to be a combination of two Tigrinya words: "kid" meaning "covenant" or "promise," and "ane" meaning "of." Thus, the name KIDANE can be interpreted as "of the covenant" or "of the promise." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were regarded as trustworthy or faithful to a particular covenant or promise.
In the early historical records of the region, the name KIDANE appears in various forms, such as "Kidani," "Kidanu," or "Kidane." These variations likely arose due to differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions across different regions and time periods.
One of the earliest documented references to the name KIDANE can be found in the chronicles of the Aksumite Empire, which ruled over parts of modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia from the 1st century AD to the 7th century AD. These chronicles mention individuals with the name KIDANE who held positions of authority and influence within the empire.
Notably, Abba Kidane, a renowned Eritrean monk and scholar who lived in the 15th century, is remembered for his contributions to the preservation of Eritrean culture and literature. Another prominent figure was Kidane Mariam, a 17th-century Ethiopian warrior and leader who played a significant role in the country's military campaigns.
In the 19th century, Kidane Weld Keflesun, an Eritrean nobleman and military leader, gained renown for his resistance against the Italian colonization of Eritrea. Additionally, Kidane Menilik, born in the late 19th century, was a prominent Eritrean politician and activist who fought for Eritrean independence during the Italian colonial era.
The surname KIDANE has also been associated with various place names in Eritrea, such as Kidane Mehret, a town located in the Anseba region, and Kidane Mihret, a village in the Gash-Barka region. These place names may have their roots in the KIDANE surname, reflecting the historical significance and influence of individuals bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kidane
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kidane 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 Kidane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.9% · 1,924
- Two or more races1.9% · 38
- White1.8% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kidane
Kidane 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
#20,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,304
+565 bearers (+76.5%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 9,582 places
2020
#14,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,027
+723 bearers (+55.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 6,165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,964 | 739 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,382 | 1,304 | 0.44 | +565 bearers (+76.5%) | Up 9,582 places |
| 2020 | #14,217 | 2,027 | 0.68 | +723 bearers (+55.4%) | Up 6,165 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 Kidane 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 | #20,382 | #14,217 | 30.2% |
| Count | 1,304 | 2,027 | 55.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.68 | 54.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kidane bearers went from 1,304 to 2,027 (+55.4% change). The surname moved up 6,165 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,382 to #14,217.
FAQ
Kidane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kidane?
Name Census estimates that about 2,324 living Americans carry the surname Kidane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,485 residents.
How common is Kidane?
Kidane ranks #14,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,027 people with the surname Kidane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kidane.
Has Kidane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kidane went from 1,304 recorded bearers to 2,027. That is an increase of 723 (+55.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,382 to #14,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Kidane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) 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 Kidane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (1,924 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kidane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%), 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 Kidane (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 Kidane mean?
An Amharic surname meaning "being or of the path" or "righteousness". 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 Kidane (0.68 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 Kidane?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.