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

Zabek, 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 Zabek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zabek in America

Zabek is the 89753rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zabek surname appeared 206 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 Zabek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zabek 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 Zabek

The surname Zabek finds its origins in Poland and is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name primarily hails from the Mazovia region in central Poland, an area known for its historical Duchy and rich cultural landscape. It is derived from the Polish word "ząbek," which means "little tooth," likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone with notably small teeth or perhaps a child.

Historical records featuring the surname Zabek are relatively scarce, but it does appear in various forms throughout old Polish manuscripts and church registers. Early mentions of the name include the 15th century tax rolls and census records, where families bearing this surname were recorded as peasants or craftsmen. The use of surnames was often fluid during this period, with various spellings such as Żąbek or Zombek appearing in the records.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Zabek was Jan Zabek, noted in a 1433 land registry in the Duchy of Masovia. Another notable individual was Michał Zabek, who lived in the mid-16th century and was documented as a smith in the town of Płock. Evidence suggests the name became moderately widespread, aligning with Poland’s evolving social and economic structures.

By the 17th century, the Zabek name spread to other regions of Poland and even parts of Lithuania, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. An example is Katarzyna Zabek, born in 1612, who was a merchant’s wife in Vilnius. The spread of Polish surnames often mirrored the nation's complex geopolitical shifts.

Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Zabek continued to be found in various documents, such as birth, marriage, and death records. Among them was Stanisław Zabek, a noted participant in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794; he was born in 1769 and fought against the partitioning powers of Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

In more modern historical references, Karol Zabek, born in 1873, was a known figure during the interwar period in Poland, contributing to the national education system as a teacher and small-time political activist.

Throughout history, the Zabek surname has been carried by a myriad of individuals who lived in shifting political, social, and economic climates, reflecting the rich tapestry of Poland's history. Each occurrence of the name in historical records adds a layer to understanding the life and times of those who bore it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zabek

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

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

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

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