2000
#44,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 460
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Zachar
An Anglicized spelling of the Slavic surname meaning "behind, at the back".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 463 Americans carry the last name Zachar. That puts it at #54,978 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 740,290 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zachar 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
463
1 in 740,290
Census rank
#54,978
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
404
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 404 bearers of the surname Zachar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54978th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zachar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zachar
The surname Zachar has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically from regions within modern-day Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It is derived from the Slavic given name Zachariasz, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Zechariah, meaning “God remembers.” Over time, the name evolved phonetically and morphologically into various forms including Zachar, Zachár, and Sachar in different locales. The linguistic roots can be traced to Old Slavic languages, where similar phonetic constructs were common.
One of the earliest historical references to a name resembling Zachar appears in medieval Latin records from the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 13th century. These documents, written in Latin, mention individuals with the name Zacarias, a close cousin to Zachar, establishing the deep historical usage of this name. Another reference from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 15th century mentions a nobleman named Wojciech Zachar, indicating the name was present among the gentry.
The first recorded example of the name Zachar in a broader historical context comes from the city of Kraków, Poland, in the mid-14th century. This reference is found in city registries that list Jan Zachar, a local merchant, as a prominent figure within the trade community. The name’s consistent appearance in trade documents suggests it was associated with reliable and influential individuals during that era.
In the Czech Republic, a notable figure bearing the surname was Jakub Zachar, a 16th-century scholar and theologian born in 1532 and died in 1598. His contributions to the Czech Reformation place the Zachar name in the annals of religious history.
Moving forward in time, in Hungary, the name appears prominently in the mid-19th century with István Zachár, a political activist born in 1835 who played a critical role during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. His involvement in the nationalist movements cemented his and his surname's place in Hungarian history.
In more modern history, Józef Zachar, born in 1902 and died in 1991, was a well-known Polish filmmaker who made significant contributions to the Polish cinema during his lifetime. His works left an indelible mark on the film industry in Poland, showcasing the cultural versatility of the name.
In Slovakia, the surname Zachar is linked to the 20th-century literary figure Ondrej Zachar, born in 1921 and died in 2005. As an author and poet, he contributed richly to Slovak literature, ensuring the name retained its scholarly and artistic associations.
The surname Zachar, while not as common today, holds a distinguished place in historical records across Eastern Europe, spanning diverse regions, professions, and eras. The consistent presence of the surname in various historical documents highlights its enduring legacy and rich etymological roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zachar
Among Census respondents with the surname Zachar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zachar 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 Zachar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 371
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 14
- Two or more races2.7% · 11
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zachar
Zachar 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
#47,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 449
-11 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,169 places
2020
#54,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 404
-45 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 7,706 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,103 | 460 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,272 | 449 | 0.15 | -11 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 3,169 places |
| 2020 | #54,978 | 404 | 0.14 | -45 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 7,706 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 Zachar 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 | #47,272 | #54,978 | -16.3% |
| Count | 449 | 404 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zachar bearers went from 449 to 404 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 7,706 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,272 to #54,978.
FAQ
Zachar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zachar?
Name Census estimates that about 463 living Americans carry the surname Zachar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 740,290 residents.
How common is Zachar?
Zachar ranks #54,978 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 404 people with the surname Zachar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Zachar.
Has Zachar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zachar went from 449 recorded bearers to 404. That is a decrease of 45 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,272 to #54,978.
What does the Census say about the background of Zachar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zachar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zachar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (371 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zachar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (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 Zachar (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 Zachar mean?
An Anglicized spelling of the Slavic surname meaning "behind, at the back". 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 Zachar (0.14 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 common is the surname Zachar?
See how many people have the surname Zachar on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.