2000
#5,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,063
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Zahn
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "zan," meaning "tooth," referring to a dentist or tooth-puller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,727 Americans carry the last name Zahn. That puts it at #5,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zahn 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
6.7K
1 in 50,952
Census rank
#5,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,866 bearers of the surname Zahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zahn
The surname Zahn is of German origin, originating in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "zand" or "zan," meaning "tooth" or "tusk." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname for someone with prominent teeth or perhaps a profession related to teeth, such as a dentist or ivory carver.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zahn can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland, dating back to the 9th century. The name is also mentioned in various German town and church records from the 13th and 14th centuries, with variations in spelling such as "Zän," "Zan," and "Zahn."
In the 15th century, the name Zahn appeared in the Bützower Häuserbuch, a house book from the town of Bützow in Mecklenburg, Germany. This document recorded the names of property owners and residents within the town. During this time, the surname was also found in other regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony.
One notable figure bearing the surname Zahn was Johann Zahn (1641-1707), a German Protestant minister and polymath known for his works on optics, acoustics, and other scientific subjects. Another individual of historical significance was Johann Karl Wilhelm Zahn (1771-1853), a German theologian and writer who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
In the 19th century, the surname Zahn was carried by several prominent individuals, including Gustav Zahn (1800-1876), a German painter and lithographer, and Friedrich Zahn (1869-1950), a German Protestant theologian and New Testament scholar. Additionally, Albert Zahn (1846-1904) was a German architect responsible for designing numerous buildings in Berlin during the Gründerzeit period.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname Zahn was Ernst Zahn (1867-1952), a German engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the automotive industry. He co-founded the Zahn-Werke company, which produced transmissions and other components for vehicles.
These examples highlight the longstanding presence of the surname Zahn within German history and its association with various professions and fields of expertise.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Zahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zahn 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 Zahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 5,327
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 227
- Two or more races2.8% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 49
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zahn
Zahn 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
#5,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,086
+23 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 413 places
2020
#5,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,866
-220 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,282 | 6,063 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,695 | 6,086 | 2.06 | +23 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 413 places |
| 2020 | #5,694 | 5,866 | 1.96 | -220 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 1 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 Zahn 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 | #5,695 | #5,694 | 0.0% |
| Count | 6,086 | 5,866 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.96 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zahn bearers went from 6,086 to 5,866 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,695 to #5,694.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zahn
FAQ
Zahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zahn?
Name Census estimates that about 6,727 living Americans carry the surname Zahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,952 residents.
How common is Zahn?
Zahn ranks #5,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.96 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 5,866 people with the surname Zahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.96 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 Zahn.
Has Zahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zahn went from 6,086 recorded bearers to 5,866. That is a decrease of 220 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,695 to #5,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Zahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Zahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (5,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Zahn (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 Zahn mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "zan," meaning "tooth," referring to a dentist or tooth-puller. 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 Zahn (1.96 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 have the last name Zahn?
If you just want to know how many people are called Zahn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.