2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zah
An Arabic surname meaning praise or glory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Zah. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zah 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Zah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zah, the largest self-reported group is White at 33.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (29.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (27.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zah
The surname Zah is believed to have its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly from regions that are now part of modern-day Hungary and Romania. The earliest references to this surname can be traced back to the Medieval period, around the 12th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from Old Hungarian or older Slavic words, potentially linked to the word "Žaha" which means "to breathe" or "sigh" in Old Slavic.
Among the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zah is a mention in a Hungarian manuscript from the 13th century. This document references a noble family from the region of Transylvania, underscoring the surname's noble roots and its association with significant historical events in the area.
One of the oldest known figures with the surname Zah could be Petru Zah, a landowner mentioned in a 14th-century deed of land transfer. Records from that time period are sparse, but Petru’s name appears in documents linked to agricultural patents in the Kingdom of Hungary, suggesting a person of considerable local influence.
Another notable figure is Miklós Zah, a 16th-century military leader in the defense against the Ottoman Empire. Serving under the Habsburg Monarchy, Miklós was noted for his leadership in the battles near the Vienna basin and is recorded in military dispatches from the 1570s and 1580s.
In the 18th century, Géza Zah, an influential cultural figure, played an instrumental role in the Hungarian Enlightenment. Born in 1734 and dying in 1798, Géza was a prolific writer and philosopher who contributed to a variety of scholarly works and helped promote educational reforms in Hungary.
Moving to the 19th century, the Zah surname appears again with Ágnes Zah, an early feminist and writer who was born in 1842 and died in 1901. She was known for her contributions to the women's rights movement in Hungary, advocating for suffrage and equality at a time when such views were gaining traction in European societies.
Finally, in the early 20th century, István Zah, a Hungarian political figure, played a crucial role during the turbulent interwar period. Born in 1889 and dying in 1944, István held several governmental positions and was involved in critical negotiations during the Treaty of Trianon, which significantly reshaped the borders of Hungary.
The surname Zah has evolved over the centuries but retains its connections to the eastern regions of Europe. These historical references highlight the name's deep-rooted connections to key figures and events spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zah
Among Census respondents with the surname Zah, the largest self-reported group is White at 33.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (29.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (27.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zah 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 Zah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White33.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native29.5% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.9% · 34
- Black or African American4.9% · 6
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zah
Zah appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 1,297 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 Zah 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 | #139,228 | #140,525 | -0.9% |
| Count | 120 | 122 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zah bearers went from 120 to 122 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 1,297 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #140,525.
FAQ
Zah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zah?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Zah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Zah?
Zah ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 122 people with the surname Zah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Zah.
Has Zah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zah went from 120 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Zah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zah, the largest self-reported group is White at 33.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (29.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (27.9%). 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 Zah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.6% (41 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (33.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (29.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (27.9%). 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 Zah (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 Zah mean?
An Arabic surname meaning praise or glory. 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 Zah (0.04 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 Zah?
Find out how many people have the surname Zah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.