2000
#9,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,260
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Zacarias
Derived from the Hebrew name Zechariah, meaning "God has remembered," and adopted as a surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,804 Americans carry the last name Zacarias. That puts it at #5,637 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zacarias 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
6.8K
1 in 50,375
Census rank
#5,637
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,933 bearers of the surname Zacarias in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5637th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zacarias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zacarias
The surname Zacarias originates from Spain and has its roots in the Hebrew name Zechariah or Zacharias, which means "the Lord remembers" or "God has remembered." This name was popular during the Middle Ages among Jewish communities in Spain and Portugal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zacarias can be found in the Libro de los Fueros de Castiella, a legal code from the 13th century. This document mentions a certain Fernán Zacarias, a nobleman and landowner in the region of Castile.
During the 15th century, the Zacarias family was prominent in the city of Toledo, where they were involved in various trades and professions. One notable member was Alonso Zacarias, a wealthy merchant who lived from 1430 to 1498.
The surname Zacarias also appears in historical records from the Spanish Inquisition, as some members of the family were forced to convert to Christianity or face persecution for their Jewish faith. In the 16th century, a family named Zacarias was among those who escaped the Inquisition by fleeing to the Netherlands.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the surname Zacarias spread to various parts of the Americas, particularly in Mexico and the Philippines. One notable figure was Juan Zacarias, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, a Zacarias family settled in the Philippines and became influential in the local community. One of their descendants, Manuel Zacarias, was a prominent lawyer and politician who fought for Philippine independence in the late 19th century.
Another notable person with the surname Zacarias was Félix Zacarias, a Mexican artist and painter who lived from 1837 to 1901. He is known for his depictions of Mexican history and culture.
In the 20th century, the Zacarias surname gained recognition in the field of literature. José Zacarias, a Mexican writer and poet, was born in 1920 and is celebrated for his contributions to the literary scene in his country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zacarias
Among Census respondents with the surname Zacarias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zacarias 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 Zacarias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 5,456
- White4.1% · 242
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 160
- Two or more races0.5% · 30
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zacarias
Zacarias appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,633
+2,373 bearers (+72.8%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Up 3,112 places
2020
#5,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,933
+300 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,200 | 3,260 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,088 | 5,633 | 1.91 | +2,373 bearers (+72.8%) | Up 3,112 places |
| 2020 | #5,637 | 5,933 | 1.98 | +300 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 451 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 Zacarias 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 | #6,088 | #5,637 | 7.4% |
| Count | 5,633 | 5,933 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.98 | 3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zacarias bearers went from 5,633 to 5,933 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 451 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,088 to #5,637.
FAQ
Zacarias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zacarias?
Name Census estimates that about 6,804 living Americans carry the surname Zacarias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,375 residents.
How common is Zacarias?
Zacarias ranks #5,637 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,933 people with the surname Zacarias. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Zacarias.
Has Zacarias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zacarias went from 5,633 recorded bearers to 5,933. That is an increase of 300 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,088 to #5,637.
What does the Census say about the background of Zacarias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zacarias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zacarias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (5,456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zacarias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Zacarias (2000, 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 Zacarias mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Zechariah, meaning "God has remembered," and adopted as a surname. 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 Zacarias (1.98 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 share the surname Zacarias?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.