2000
#5,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Zachary
Derived from the given name Zachary, which comes from the Hebrew Zechariah, meaning "God has remembered."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,806 Americans carry the last name Zachary. That puts it at #5,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zachary 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 50,361
Census rank
#5,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,935 bearers of the surname Zachary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zachary, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zachary
Among Census respondents with the surname Zachary, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zachary 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 Zachary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.4% · 4,002
- Black or African American22.6% · 1,340
- Two or more races4.9% · 288
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 217
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zachary
Zachary 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
#5,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,724
+296 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#5,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,935
-789 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,008 | 6,428 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,198 | 6,724 | 2.28 | +296 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #5,635 | 5,935 | 1.99 | -789 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 437 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 Zachary 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 | #5,198 | #5,635 | -8.4% |
| Count | 6,724 | 5,935 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 1.99 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zachary bearers went from 6,724 to 5,935 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 437 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,198 to #5,635.
FAQ
Zachary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zachary?
Name Census estimates that about 6,806 living Americans carry the surname Zachary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,361 residents.
How common is Zachary?
Zachary ranks #5,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.99 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 5,935 people with the surname Zachary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.99 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 Zachary.
Has Zachary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zachary went from 6,724 recorded bearers to 5,935. That is a decrease of 789 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,198 to #5,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Zachary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zachary, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Zachary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (4,002 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zachary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.4%), Black (22.6%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Zachary (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 Zachary mean?
Derived from the given name Zachary, which comes from the Hebrew Zechariah, meaning "God has remembered." 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 Zachary (1.99 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 Zachary?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.