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

Negus, 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 Negus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Negus in America

Negus is the 26833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Negus surname appeared 906 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 Negus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Negus 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 Negus

The surname Negus is of Ethiopian origin, derived from the Amharic word "niguse" which means "king" or "emperor". It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the medieval period, particularly associated with the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Negus can be found in the Kebra Nagast, an ancient text that chronicles the history and lineage of the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia. This manuscript, dating back to the 14th century, mentions several rulers with the title "Negus Negesti" or "King of Kings".

During the 16th century, the Portuguese explorer and writer João Bermudes documented his travels to Ethiopia in a work entitled "Breve Memoria da Vida, e Accidentes do Summo Pontífice João Bermudez". In this account, he frequently refers to the Ethiopian ruler as the "Negus" or "Preste João" (Prester John).

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Negus was Negus Tafari Makonnen, better known as Emperor Haile Selassie I. Born in 1892, he was the last Emperor of Ethiopia, ruling from 1930 until his overthrow in 1974. Haile Selassie was a prominent figure in the Pan-African movement and is revered as a messiah by the Rastafarian faith.

Another prominent figure bearing the surname Negus was Lij Iyasu Negus, who was the designated heir to the Ethiopian throne in the early 20th century. However, due to his controversial religious beliefs and political alliances, he was eventually deposed by his father, Emperor Menelik II, in 1916.

The surname Negus has also been associated with other historical figures, such as Zara Yaqob Negus, who ruled Ethiopia in the 15th century, and Yohannes IV Negus, who led the Ethiopian forces against the Italian invasion in the late 19th century.

While the surname Negus is predominantly found in Ethiopia and among the Ethiopian diaspora, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly those with connections to the Rastafarian faith or those who have embraced African cultural traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Negus

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

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

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

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