Explore the Family Name Tesfay

The meaning of Tesfay

Ethiopian and Eritrean: from the personal name Tesfay, Tigrinya equivalent of Amharic Tesfaye. — 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.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Tesfay saw a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname improved from 61,207th place in 2000 to 36,695th place in 2010, showing a positive change of approximately 40.05 percent. The count of individuals with the Tesfay surname also rose substantially during this period, from 307 in 2000 to 609 in 2010 – an impressive growth of 98.37 percent. Consequently, the proportion of people with the Tesfay surname per 100,000 population doubled, increasing by a staggering 90.91 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#61,207#36,69540.05%
Count30760998.37%
Proportion per 100k0.110.2190.91%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tesfay

Turning to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the ethnic identity associated with the surname Tesfay is predominantly Black, which increased from 83.06 percent in 2000 to 95.89 percent in 2010, registering a growth of 15.45 percent. The percentage of those identifying as White with the same surname declined by 35.75 percent during this decade, from 3.58 percent to 2.3 percent. The data for Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained unchanged and suppressed for privacy reasons. Interestingly, the category "Two or more races" disappeared completely in 2010, having previously accounted for 13.03 percent in 2000.

20002010Change
Black83.06%95.89%15.45%
White3.58%2.3%-35.75%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races13.03%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%