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

Tesfu, 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 Tesfu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tesfu in America

Tesfu is the 99845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tesfu surname appeared 181 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 Tesfu.

The history of the last name Tesfu

The surname Tesfu has its origins in Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 14th century. The name is derived from the Tigrinya language, which is spoken in Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia.

One of the earliest known references to the name Tesfu can be found in a historical document dating back to the 16th century, which mentions a prominent figure named Tesfu Gebremeskel. This individual is believed to have been a local chieftain or nobleman in the region of Akele Guzai, which was a significant area during the Medri Bahri Kingdom.

The name Tesfu is thought to be a combination of two words from the Tigrinya language. The first part, "Tes," is believed to be derived from the word "tesnae," which means "to be praised or admired." The second part, "fu," is a common suffix in the language, indicating a sense of possession or belonging. Therefore, the name Tesfu could be interpreted as "one who is praised" or "one who is admired."

In the 17th century, there is a record of a prominent scholar and theologian named Tesfu Tselot, who lived in the region of Hamasien. His works on religious texts and teachings were widely respected and studied during that era.

Another notable figure with the surname Tesfu was Tesfu Ghebregziabher, a military commander who played a crucial role in the Eritrean War of Independence against Ethiopia in the late 20th century. He was born in 1941 and was a prominent figure in the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF).

The name Tesfu has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations within Eritrea. For instance, there is a village called Tesfu in the Debub region, which is believed to have derived its name from a prominent family or individual bearing the surname.

Throughout history, the surname Tesfu has been recorded with slight variations in spelling, such as Tesfou, Tesfu'e, or Tesfaye. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and linguistic influences within Eritrea and the surrounding areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tesfu

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

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 Tesfu 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!