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

Tessema, 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 Tessema surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tessema in America

Tessema is the 27164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tessema surname appeared 891 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 Tessema.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tessema 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 Tessema

The surname "TESSEMA" has its origins in Ethiopia, and it dates back several centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Amharic language, which is one of the oldest and most widely spoken Semitic languages in the Horn of Africa region.

The name "TESSEMA" is thought to be a combination of two Amharic words, "tese" and "ema," which together can be interpreted as "he arrived" or "he came." This suggests that the surname may have been initially given to someone who had traveled or migrated from one place to another.

Records indicate that the name "TESSEMA" has been present in various regions of Ethiopia for many generations. Some of the earliest documented instances of this surname can be found in medieval manuscripts and chronicles, particularly those from the medieval Solomonic dynasty, which ruled Ethiopia from the 13th to the 20th century.

One notable figure in Ethiopian history who bore this surname was Tessema Eshete (1892-1950), a prominent politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. He played a crucial role in representing Ethiopia's interests on the international stage during the Italian invasion of the country in the 1930s.

Another prominent individual with the surname "TESSEMA" was Tessema Negash (1901-1978), a renowned scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Amharic and other Semitic languages. He authored several important works on Ethiopian linguistics and served as a professor at Addis Ababa University.

In the realm of literature, Tessema Eshete (1934-2010) was a celebrated Amharic poet and writer whose works explored themes of nationalism, identity, and social issues. His poetry collections, such as "Kegna" and "Metshafe Kalamus," are considered classics of modern Amharic literature.

The surname "TESSEMA" has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations within Ethiopia. For instance, the town of Tessema in the Amhara region is believed to have been named after an individual or family with this surname.

Throughout history, the name "TESSEMA" has maintained its presence and significance in Ethiopian society, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tessema

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

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

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

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