2000
#37,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Zaccaro
Of Italian origin, a nickname surname derived from zacchera meaning "muddy puddle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 718 Americans carry the last name Zaccaro. That puts it at #38,120 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 477,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zaccaro 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
718
1 in 477,374
Census rank
#38,120
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
626
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 626 bearers of the surname Zaccaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38120th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaccaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zaccaro
The surname Zaccaro originates from Italy, tracing its roots specifically to the southern regions such as Calabria and Sicily. The name is derived from the Italian word "zaccaria," which in turn has biblical connotations linked to the name Zacharias or Zechariah. In Hebrew, Zechariah means "God has remembered," which is reflected in the Italian derivative.
References to the name Zaccaro can be found as early as the medieval period. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries in Italian archives sometimes contain variations of the name. The spelling of the surname has been relatively consistent, although one might occasionally find archaic forms like Zaccaria or Zeccaro in older documents.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Zaccaro is Giacomo di Zaccaro, a notable merchant from Calabria who was active around the year 1420. His name appears in a number of trade documents and business correspondences of that era, indicating the presence and the prominence of the name in commercial activities.
In the mid-16th century, the name Zaccaro appeared in several places, including a legal manuscript from Sicily detailing the genealogies of prominent families. Among those listed is Domenico Zaccaro, born in 1532, who served as a local magistrate and made significant contributions to the administrative governance of the region until his death in 1598.
Francesco Zaccaro, born in 1620, was another notable figure. He was a respected scholar in Naples, known for his works on Italian literature and his involvement in various academic societies of the 17th century. His contributions to philological studies were well-documented in letters and publications of that time.
By the late 18th century, the name Zaccaro had spread beyond Italy, making its way into other parts of Europe. One distinguished bearer was Giovanni Zaccaro, born in 1765, who became a renowned sculptor. His works are still admired today in various art galleries and museums across Italy.
In the 19th century, the name appeared in the context of Italian immigration to America. Valentino Zaccaro, born in 1834 in Sicily, emigrated to the United States in the 1860s and became a prominent businessman in New York. His activities and philanthropic efforts were recorded in various local newspapers and business records up until his death in 1901.
Throughout history, the Zaccaro surname has been associated with various regions within Italy and has had bearers who made significant impacts in fields ranging from commerce to academia and the arts. The legacy of the name continues to be recognized both in historical texts and within the cultural heritage of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaccaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaccaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Zaccaro 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 Zaccaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 543
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 59
- Two or more races2.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zaccaro
Zaccaro 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
#45,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 473
-89 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 7,934 places
2020
#38,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 626
+153 bearers (+32.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 7,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,319 | 562 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,253 | 473 | 0.16 | -89 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 7,934 places |
| 2020 | #38,120 | 626 | 0.21 | +153 bearers (+32.3%) | Up 7,133 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 Zaccaro 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 | #45,253 | #38,120 | 15.8% |
| Count | 473 | 626 | 32.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.21 | 30.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zaccaro bearers went from 473 to 626 (+32.3% change). The surname moved up 7,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,253 to #38,120.
FAQ
Zaccaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zaccaro?
Name Census estimates that about 718 living Americans carry the surname Zaccaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 477,374 residents.
How common is Zaccaro?
Zaccaro ranks #38,120 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 626 people with the surname Zaccaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Zaccaro.
Has Zaccaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zaccaro went from 473 recorded bearers to 626. That is an increase of 153 (+32.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,253 to #38,120.
What does the Census say about the background of Zaccaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaccaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Zaccaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (543 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zaccaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (9.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Zaccaro (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 Zaccaro mean?
Of Italian origin, a nickname surname derived from zacchera meaning "muddy puddle". 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 Zaccaro (0.21 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 have the last name Zaccaro?
You can see how many people have the surname Zaccaro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.