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

Zahar, 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 Zahar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zahar in America

Zahar is the 140157th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zahar surname appeared 119 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Zahar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zahar 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 Zahar

The surname Zahar is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, with possible roots in Slavic-speaking countries such as Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary. The name Zahar is derived from the Slavic word "zakharii," meaning sugar or sweetness, indicating that it could have been a nickname or an occupational surname related to someone who dealt with sweet substances or confections.

In historical records, the name Zahar appears in various forms due to different transliterations and local dialects. Manuscripts and documents from the Middle Ages show instances of the name in regions that are now part of Ukraine and Romania. One of the earliest recorded instances is in a 14th-century Romanian manuscript referring to a nobleman named Ioan Zahar.

Another significant appearance of the surname is in the records of the Hungarian nobility in the early 15th century, where a family with the Zahar name held a small estate. The spelling varied slightly, including forms such as Záhár and Zaharí. These variations indicate a common practice of adapting the spelling to fit local linguistic norms.

One notable historical figure with the surname Zahar is Constantin Zahar, a Romanian merchant born in 1667 who played a significant role in the trade between Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire. He is documented to have facilitated the export of textiles and spices, enriching both his local economy and his family’s wealth.

In the 18th century, Alexandru Zahar, a prominent scholar born in 1723, contributed significantly to the fields of mathematics and astronomy in Romania. His works are still referenced today in historical studies of early Eastern European scientific achievements.

The name also appears in Jewish communities, where the name Zahar could have been adopted as a family name by Ashkenazi Jews. One prominent figure includes Moishe Zahar, born in 1821, who was a renowned rabbi and Talmudic scholar in Lithuania, contributing significantly to Jewish religious education and literature during his lifetime.

During the 19th century, the surname Zahar shows up in immigration records of Central and Western Europe, indicating movement possibly due to economic opportunities or persecution in their homelands. Pavel Zahar, born in 1845, is an example of an individual who migrated to Germany and made significant contributions in the field of engineering, becoming a respected figure in his adopted country.

The last notable historical figure is Olga Zahar, a pioneering woman in the medical field born in 1878 in Ukraine. She specialized in gynecology and obstetrics and was instrumental in advancing women's healthcare practices in Eastern Europe during the early 20th century.

Throughout history, the surname Zahar has demonstrated a rich and varied heritage, involving contributions in trade, science, religion, and healthcare, highlighting the multifaceted legacy of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zahar

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

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

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

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