Explore the Family Name Berhe

The meaning of Berhe

Ethiopian and Eritrean: from the Tigrinya personal name Berhe, which is interpreted as ‘it was light’ in the Tigrinya language. — Note: Since Ethiopians and Eritreans do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Ethiopian/Eritrean Berhane, Almaz, Dawit, Mehari, Mulugeta, Selamawit, Tesfai, Abera, Abrehet, Alazar, Alemnesh, Amanuel, Asfaw. Jewish Aron, Yosef.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Berhe in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Berhe has significantly increased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 37,094 but by 2010, it had jumped to a rank of 25,430, indicating an impressive growth of over 31%. The count of people with the Berhe surname also rose during this period, from 566 to 973, marking a substantial increase of nearly 72%. Notably, the proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 population also saw an uptick of over 57%.

20002010Change
Rank#37,094#25,43031.44%
Count56697371.91%
Proportion per 100k0.210.3357.14%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Berhe

As for the ethnic identity associated with the surname Berhe, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that in both 2000 and 2010, the majority of bearers identified as Black, with an increase from 85.16% to 96.20% respectively. There was a significant decrease among those identifying as Hispanic and those identifying with two or more races, dropping by approximately 71% and 92% respectively. White bearers of the surname marginally increased from 1.59% to 1.64%. The percentage of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased slightly, while there were no bearers who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
Black85.16%96.2%12.96%
White1.59%1.64%3.14%
Two or More Races10.25%0.82%-92%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.88%0.72%-18.18%
Hispanic2.12%0.62%-70.75%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%