2000
#6,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Zak
A shortened form of Polish or Ukrainian surnames derived from the personal name Zachary, meaning "remembered by God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,732 Americans carry the last name Zak. That puts it at #6,530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,797 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zak 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 Zak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 59,797
Census rank
#6,530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,999 bearers of the surname Zak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zak
The surname "ZAK" is believed to have originated in Poland, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Polish word "zak," which translates to "disciple" or "novice." This name was likely given to individuals who were associated with religious orders or monasteries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "ZAK" can be found in the Księga Henrykowska, a 13th-century manuscript that documented land ownership and transactions in the Silesian region of Poland. This document mentions a nobleman named Zbigniew Zak, who owned a significant portion of land near the town of Henryków.
In the 14th century, the name "ZAK" was also found in the Księga Ławnicza, a legal record book maintained by the city council of Kraków. This record includes several references to individuals with the surname "ZAK," indicating that the name had spread to other parts of Poland by that time.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname "ZAK" was Jan Zak, a Polish painter and engraver who lived from 1520 to 1584. His artworks, which often depicted religious scenes, can still be found in several churches and museums throughout Poland.
In the 17th century, a Polish military commander named Stanisław Zak gained recognition for his bravery and leadership during the Polish-Ottoman War. He was born in 1615 and died in 1683 after sustaining injuries in the Battle of Vienna.
Another prominent individual with the surname "ZAK" was Józef Zak, a Polish philosopher and educator who lived from 1785 to 1858. He was a professor at the University of Vilnius and made significant contributions to the fields of logic and ethics.
As the name "ZAK" spread across Europe, it also appeared in various place names and surnames with slight variations in spelling. For example, in Germany, there are towns and villages named Zakrzów and Zakhausen, which may have derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname "ZAK."
While the surname "ZAK" has its origins in Poland, it has since been adopted by individuals of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds, reflecting the migration and intermingling of populations throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zak
Among Census respondents with the surname Zak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zak 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 Zak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 4,671
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 163
- Two or more races1.8% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
- Black or African American0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zak
Zak 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
#6,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,177
+9 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#6,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,999
-178 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,114 | 5,168 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,540 | 5,177 | 1.76 | +9 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #6,530 | 4,999 | 1.67 | -178 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 10 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 Zak 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 | #6,540 | #6,530 | 0.2% |
| Count | 5,177 | 4,999 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.67 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zak bearers went from 5,177 to 4,999 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,540 to #6,530.
FAQ
Zak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zak?
Name Census estimates that about 5,732 living Americans carry the surname Zak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,797 residents.
How common is Zak?
Zak ranks #6,530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.67 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 4,999 people with the surname Zak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.67 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 Zak.
Has Zak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zak went from 5,177 recorded bearers to 4,999. That is a decrease of 178 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,540 to #6,530.
What does the Census say about the background of Zak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Zak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (4,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Zak (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 Zak mean?
A shortened form of Polish or Ukrainian surnames derived from the personal name Zachary, meaning "remembered by God." 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 Zak (1.67 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 surname Zak?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.