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

Zakaria, 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 Zakaria surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zakaria in America

Zakaria is the 26630th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zakaria surname appeared 915 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 Zakaria.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zakaria 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 Zakaria

The surname Zakaria originates from the Middle Eastern region, particularly within the Arabic-speaking world. The etymology of Zakaria is rooted in the Arabic name Zakariya, which is derived from the Hebrew name Zechariah, meaning "Yahweh has remembered" or "God has remembered." The name's significance can be traced back to various religious texts, including the Bible and the Quran, which mention the prophet Zechariah.

Zakaria, as a surname, began to emerge during the Islamic Golden Age, around the 8th to 13th centuries, when scholarly and cultural exchanges across the Middle East were at their peak. During this period, names like Zakariya were commonly adopted as surnames to honor religious figures and convey piety.

Historical references to the surname Zakaria are somewhat sparse in Western records, but it appears in numerous Middle Eastern manuscripts. The famous Persian scholar and polymath Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes, lived from 865 to 925 AD and carried the name as part of a longer patronymic lineage, indicating his descent from a person named Zakariya.

The surname is also found in historical texts from the Ottoman Empire, where it was carried by notable figures, such as Osman Zakaria, a 16th-century diplomat known for his literary contributions and translations of significant works into Turkish.

In the Indian subcontinent, where Persian and Arabic culture had a notable influence due to the Mughal Empire, the surname Zakaria was adopted by Muslim families. One such example is Dr. Rafiuddin Zakaria, an Indian politician and Islamic scholar born in 1920 and active in the political scena until his death in 1996.

North African records mention Muhammad Yahya Zakaria, an Algerian freedom fighter during the French colonial period, who was born in 1932 and became known for his efforts in the Algerian War of Independence.

In modern times but still within the historical context, Farhan Zakaria, an Egyptian historian born in 1912 and deceased in 1974, made significant contributions to the understanding of Arab history, documenting many lesser-known aspects of Islamic civilization.

Overall, the surname Zakaria has deep religious and cultural connotations. It is well-regarded in various parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia for its historical association with knowledge, piety, and resistance against oppression. The transformation of the name from its biblical roots through to its adoption in various Islamic cultures illustrates a rich tapestry of linguistic and cultural evolution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zakaria

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

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

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

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