Explore the Family Name Mamo

The meaning of Mamo

1. Ethiopian: from the personal name Mamo, meaning ‘baby boy’ in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 2. Italian (Sicily): variant of Mammo, which is either a nickname from mammo(lo) ‘baby, kid’ or a cognate of Mammano. 3. Maltese: from the Sicilian Arabic personal name Mamo, which is probably a shortened Latinized form of Muhammad or Mahmud. 4. Possibly also Catalan (Mamó): variant of Maimó (from Arabic Maymun ‘son of the fortunate one’), used in the Middle Ages to refer to unknown Muslims. This surname is not found in Catalonia; in Spain it is very rare, concentrated in Seville. Some characteristic forenames: Ethiopian Yared, Bekele, Binyam, Eyob, Fetlework, Gashaw, Mulugeta, Tsegaye, Zewdu. Spanish Jose, Manuel, Ramona.

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

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

The surname "Mamo" has shown a significant increase in popularity according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, it ranked as the 42,604th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had jumped to the 26,795th place – making for a change of 37.11 percent. The number of individuals with this surname almost doubled during this period, from 479 in 2000 to 908 in 2010. This represents an 89.56 percent increase, raising the proportion of people named Mamo per 100,000 residents from 0.18 to 0.31.

20002010Change
Rank#42,604#26,79537.11%
Count47990889.56%
Proportion per 100k0.180.3172.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mamo

Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals valuable insights into the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Mamo". In 2000, the majority of Mamos identified as White (58.46%), followed by Black (34.45%). However, by 2010, the proportions had flipped dramatically with 59.91% identifying as Black and 36.23% as White - a change of 73.90% and -38.03% respectively. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose from 0 in 2000 to 1.10 in 2010. The census data showed a decline in individuals of multiple races from 4.80% to 1.87%. There were no respondents who identified as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
Black34.45%59.91%73.9%
White58.46%36.23%-38.03%
Two or More Races4.8%1.87%-61.04%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.1%0%
Hispanic1.46%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%