2000
#31,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 681
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Rare Last name
Tesfaye
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "my hope" or "my hope has arrived".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,749 Americans carry the last name Tesfaye. That puts it at #12,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tesfaye 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 Tesfaye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,683
Census rank
#12,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,397 bearers of the surname Tesfaye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tesfaye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tesfaye
The surname TESFAYE originates from Ethiopia, where it has been used for centuries. It is derived from the Amharic language, which is one of the Semitic languages spoken in the Horn of Africa. The name is believed to have roots in the word "tefsa," which means "he/she who is revered" or "the respected one."
TESFAYE is a name that has been found in various historical records and manuscripts in Ethiopia. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Kibre Negest, an ancient manuscript that traces the genealogy of the Ethiopian monarchy back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The name appears in connection with several prominent figures from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname TESFAYE in the past are Dejazmach Tesfaye Gebre-Egziabher (c. 1830-1898), a prominent military leader and governor during the reign of Emperor Yohannes IV. Another notable figure was Ras Tesfaye Haile Selassie (1875-1914), a member of the Shewan royal family and a close relative of Emperor Menelik II.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Lij Tesfaye Yayeh Gebre-Mariam (1909-1992), a renowned Ethiopian diplomat and statesman who served as the country's ambassador to various nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Another notable TESFAYE was Belai Tesfaye (1920-2005), an Ethiopian playwright and author who made significant contributions to the country's literary landscape. His works explored themes of social justice, culture, and identity.
It is worth mentioning that the name TESFAYE has also been found in various place names across Ethiopia, reflecting the widespread use of the surname in different regions of the country. For instance, there are towns and villages named Tesfaye in the Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray regions, among others.
While the name TESFAYE has its roots in Ethiopia, it has also been adopted by individuals of Ethiopian descent living in other parts of the world, particularly in the diaspora communities. However, the historical and cultural significance of the name remains deeply rooted in the rich heritage of Ethiopia and its ancient traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tesfaye
Among Census respondents with the surname Tesfaye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tesfaye 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 Tesfaye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.7% · 2,293
- White1.9% · 45
- Two or more races1.5% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tesfaye
Tesfaye 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
#19,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,427
+746 bearers (+109.5%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 12,911 places
2020
#12,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
+970 bearers (+68.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 6,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,986 | 681 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,075 | 1,427 | 0.48 | +746 bearers (+109.5%) | Up 12,911 places |
| 2020 | #12,374 | 2,397 | 0.80 | +970 bearers (+68.0%) | Up 6,701 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 Tesfaye 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 | #19,075 | #12,374 | 35.1% |
| Count | 1,427 | 2,397 | 68.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.80 | 67.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tesfaye bearers went from 1,427 to 2,397 (+68.0% change). The surname moved up 6,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,075 to #12,374.
FAQ
Tesfaye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tesfaye?
Name Census estimates that about 2,749 living Americans carry the surname Tesfaye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,683 residents.
How common is Tesfaye?
Tesfaye ranks #12,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,397 people with the surname Tesfaye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,749), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Tesfaye.
Has Tesfaye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tesfaye went from 1,427 recorded bearers to 2,397. That is an increase of 970 (+68.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,075 to #12,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Tesfaye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tesfaye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Tesfaye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (2,293 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tesfaye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.7%), White (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Tesfaye (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 Tesfaye mean?
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "my hope" or "my hope has arrived". 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 Tesfaye (0.80 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 common is the surname Tesfaye?
See how many people are called Tesfaye on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.