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

Zachary, 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 Zachary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zachary in America

Zachary is the 5198th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zachary surname appeared 6,724 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Zachary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zachary 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 Zachary

The surname Zachary is of Hebrew origin, derived from the name Zechariah, which means "the Lord has remembered." This name can be traced back to ancient biblical times and has its roots in the Old Testament.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Zachary date back to the 13th century in England, where it was likely brought by Jewish settlers or Crusaders returning from the Holy Land. In medieval records, the name was often spelled variations such as Zacharye or Zacharie.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the surname Zachary was John Zachary, an English landowner and member of the gentry who lived in Berkshire in the 14th century. His name appears in various legal documents and deeds from the time.

In the 16th century, the surname Zachary can be found in the records of the Parish of St. Andrew Undershaft in London, where a certain Thomas Zachary was listed as a parishioner in 1582.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Parliamentarian soldier named Zachary Crofton fought for the Roundhead forces and was present at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

In the 18th century, the Zachary surname was prominent in Cornwall, where a family of that name owned estates and land in the parish of St. Enoder. One notable member was John Zachary (1692-1766), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as the Mayor of Truro.

Another historically significant figure was Cyrus Zachary (1810-1875), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and led several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the mid-19th century.

Throughout history, the surname Zachary has also been associated with various place names, such as Zachary's Green in Essex, Zachary's Wood in Wiltshire, and Zachary's Plantation in Virginia, USA, reflecting the geographical spread of families bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zachary

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

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

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

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