2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tzur
A Hebrew surname referring to a rock, cliff, or stone quarry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Tzur. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tzur surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Tzur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tzur, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tzur
The surname "TZUR" has its origins in the Middle Eastern region, specifically in Israel. It is a Hebrew name that can be traced back to the biblical era, around the 1st century AD.
The name "TZUR" is derived from the Hebrew word "tzur," which means "rock" or "boulder." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with individuals who lived in rocky or mountainous areas or had a connection with the mining or quarrying of stones.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "TZUR" can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud mentions a scholar named Rabbi Tzur, who lived in the 3rd century AD and was renowned for his teachings on Jewish law.
During the Middle Ages, the name "TZUR" appeared in various Hebrew manuscripts and documents, indicating its continued use among Jewish communities in the region. One notable individual was Rabbi Shlomo ben Tzur, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 10th century AD in present-day Turkey.
As Jewish communities spread across Europe and beyond, the name "TZUR" traveled with them. In the 13th century, there are records of a family named "Tzur" living in the German city of Cologne, where they were involved in the local Jewish community.
In the 16th century, a Rabbi named Isaac Tzur gained recognition for his work on the Torah and Jewish mysticism. He was born in Spain in 1508 and later settled in the city of Safed, in present-day Israel, where he established a renowned yeshiva (Jewish educational institution).
Another notable figure was Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Tzur, who lived in the 18th century and was a respected authority on Jewish law and tradition. He was born in Poland in 1716 and later served as the Chief Rabbi of the city of Brody, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The name "TZUR" has also been linked to various place names in Israel, such as the city of Tzur Hadassah and the ancient site of Tzur Natan, both located in the central region of the country. These place names may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tzur
Among Census respondents with the surname Tzur, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tzur bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tzur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tzur
Tzur appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,821 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tzur surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #139,228 | #142,049 | -2.0% |
| Count | 120 | 120 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tzur bearers went from 120 to 120 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,049.
FAQ
Tzur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tzur?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Tzur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Tzur?
Tzur ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Tzur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tzur.
Has Tzur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tzur went from 120 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Tzur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tzur, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tzur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tzur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tzur (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tzur mean?
A Hebrew surname referring to a rock, cliff, or stone quarry. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tzur (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Tzur?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Tzur, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.