2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zajda
A surname potentially derived from the Arabic name "Zaida" meaning increase or augmentation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Zajda. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zajda 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Zajda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zajda, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zajda
The surname Zajda has its origins in Central Europe, primarily in Poland. The name is believed to have come into use during the medieval period, roughly around the 14th or 15th century. Poland, at that time, was a nation with a diverse mix of cultures and languages, contributing to the formation of surnames influenced by various linguistic elements.
Zajda likely derives from the Polish word "zajda," which means "sparrow." Birds have commonly been used in surnames to symbolize characteristics such as swiftness, agility, or a particular trait associated with the family's history. This surname might have originally been given to someone who was quick or nimble, traits often admired in medieval societies.
Records from the late Medieval period, specifically church and municipal registers, are among the earliest references to the surname Zajda. In the 16th century, a documented instance mentions a Jan Zajda living in the Greater Poland region near Poznań. This area was rich in cultural development and had a significant population, making it a notable location for the emergence of surnames.
By the 17th century, other variations of the spelling such as Zajdah or Zeyda started to appear in different manuscripts and registers, indicating the spread and slight regional adaptations of the name. For example, in 1623, a Michal Zeyda was recorded as a prosperous merchant in Kraków, Poland, indicating the family's likely involvement in trade and commerce.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, as migration increased due to economic and political upheavals, the Zajda surname began to appear in neighbouring countries. For instance, in 1785, Bartłomiej Zajda was documented in records as a small-scale landowner in what is now Western Ukraine, a region that was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.
During the early 20th century, Stanisław Zajda, born in 1883 and died in 1945, was noted for his contributions as an educator in Warsaw. He played a prominent role in establishing educational reforms during the interwar period, helping to shape the modern Polish education system.
Another notable figure is Józef Zajda, born in 1925, who became a recognized botanist contributing significantly to the study of Central European flora. His work in the mid-20th century remains influential in botanical sciences, emphasizing the importance of conservation and biodiversity.
Throughout its history, the surname Zajda has retained its cultural and linguistic roots, reflecting characteristics important to the regions it originated from and the people who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zajda
Among Census respondents with the surname Zajda, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zajda 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 Zajda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 108
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zajda
Zajda 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,114 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,114 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Zajda 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 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zajda bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Zajda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zajda?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Zajda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Zajda?
Zajda ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Zajda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Zajda.
Has Zajda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zajda went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Zajda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zajda, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Zajda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zajda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Zajda (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 Zajda mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Arabic name "Zaida" meaning increase or augmentation. 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 Zajda (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 many Americans have the surname Zajda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.