2000
#6,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Zajac
A Polish or Slovak occupational surname referring to a person who herded or hunted hares or rabbits.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,806 Americans carry the last name Zajac. That puts it at #6,456 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zajac 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Zajac with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,035
Census rank
#6,456
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,063 bearers of the surname Zajac in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6456th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zajac, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zajac
The surname Zajac originated in Poland, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 14th century. The name is derived from the Polish word "zajac," meaning "hare" or "rabbit," suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have had an association with these animals, either as hunters, breeders, or as a descriptive nickname.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Zajac can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Stanislaw Zajac was mentioned in 1402. The name also appears in various medieval Polish manuscripts and chronicles, indicating its widespread use among the Polish nobility and commoners alike.
During the Middle Ages, the Zajac family established itself in various regions of Poland, with branches residing in cities such as Krakow, Warsaw, and Poznan. The name's spelling variations included Zayatz, Zayac, and Zajac, reflecting the different regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Zajac throughout history include Stanislaw Zajac (c. 1500-1570), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Livonian War; Jakub Zajac (1640-1705), a Polish Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to South America; and Michal Zajac (1804-1885), a Polish painter renowned for his landscape and religious works.
In the 19th century, the Zajac surname gained further prominence with the birth of Ignacy Zajac (1832-1891), a Polish politician and journalist who played a significant role in the Polish independence movement. Another notable figure was Henryk Zajac (1870-1942), a Polish economist and professor who made important contributions to the field of agricultural economics.
As the Polish diaspora spread across the world, the Zajac surname traveled with them, with descendants now found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its Polish origins, where it has been a part of the country's rich cultural and historical tapestry for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zajac
Among Census respondents with the surname Zajac, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zajac 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 Zajac surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 4,748
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 140
- Two or more races2.0% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 50
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zajac
Zajac 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
#6,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,270
+135 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 303 places
2020
#6,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,063
-207 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,141 | 5,135 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,444 | 5,270 | 1.79 | +135 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 303 places |
| 2020 | #6,456 | 5,063 | 1.69 | -207 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 12 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 Zajac 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 | #6,444 | #6,456 | -0.2% |
| Count | 5,270 | 5,063 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.69 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zajac bearers went from 5,270 to 5,063 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,444 to #6,456.
FAQ
Zajac surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zajac?
Name Census estimates that about 5,806 living Americans carry the surname Zajac. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,035 residents.
How common is Zajac?
Zajac ranks #6,456 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 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 5,063 people with the surname Zajac. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 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 Zajac.
Has Zajac become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zajac went from 5,270 recorded bearers to 5,063. That is a decrease of 207 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,444 to #6,456.
What does the Census say about the background of Zajac?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zajac, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Zajac in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (4,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zajac appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Zajac (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 Zajac mean?
A Polish or Slovak occupational surname referring to a person who herded or hunted hares or rabbits. 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 Zajac (1.69 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 are called Zajac?
Find out how many people are called Zajac on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.