2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zakheim
A Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew word "zakham" meaning "to grow old".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Zakheim. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zakheim 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Zakheim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zakheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zakheim
The surname Zakheim traces its origins to Eastern Europe, specifically the regions that encompass modern-day Poland and Germany. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, roughly around the 14th to 16th centuries. The areas where the name Zakheim originally appeared were in regions that were influenced by Ashkenazi Jewish cultures, which proliferated in Central and Eastern Europe.
Zakheim is likely derived from a place name. It is believed to draw from the Germanic words Zack or Sacken, meaning sack or bag, combined with Heim, meaning home or settlement. This combination could suggest that the original bearers of the name lived in a place known for trading or producing sacks or bags, or were involved in such trades themselves.
There are historical references to similar variations of the name in medieval records. For example, manuscripts from the 15th century in what is now Poland mention families with surnames resembling Zakheim. While not appearing in highly famous documents like the Domesday Book, the name has been found in local administrative records, tax lists, and community registries from the period.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Zakheim is Isaac Zakheim, a merchant who was mentioned in a Krakow trade document in the early 17th century. Place names such as Zakhein or Zäckhein have also been associated with regions in Germany and Poland, hinting at varying spellings and migrations of the original families.
The name Zakheim gained some historical prominence through the figure of Bernard Zakheim (1896–1985), a noted Polish-born artist who emigrated to the United States. His impact on art in America during the 20th century is well-documented, particularly his work in San Francisco's Coit Tower murals during the 1930s.
Another notable person is Rabbi David Zakheim, who lived in the 18th century and was referenced in various religious texts and letters as a significant religious leader in the region of Galicia, then part of Poland, now in Ukraine.
Jacob Zakheim, an influential banker in Warsaw during the late 19th century, was another prominent figure. Born in 1842, he contributed significantly to the economic growth of the Jewish community in Warsaw before passing away in 1909.
In more recent history, the name Zakheim is associated with Erwin Zakheim (1893–1957), a physicist who made considerable contributions to the field of electromagnetism. His work was widely published in European scientific journals from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Lastly, Fanny Zakheim (1878–1941), known for her philanthropic activities particularly in Warsaw, played a key role in supporting Jewish education and healthcare in the early 20th century.
The evolution of the surname Zakheim reflects a rich tapestry of geographic, linguistic, and cultural influences, spanning from the medieval towns of Central and Eastern Europe to the artistic and scientific communities of the modern world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zakheim
Among Census respondents with the surname Zakheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Zakheim 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 Zakheim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 105
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zakheim
Zakheim appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+7 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,548 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 6,548 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 Zakheim 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 | #153,769 | #147,221 | 4.3% |
| Count | 106 | 113 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zakheim bearers went from 106 to 113 (+6.6% change). The surname moved up 6,548 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,221.
FAQ
Zakheim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zakheim?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Zakheim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Zakheim?
Zakheim ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Zakheim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Zakheim.
Has Zakheim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zakheim went from 106 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 7 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Zakheim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zakheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Zakheim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zakheim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Zakheim (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 Zakheim mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew word "zakham" meaning "to grow old". 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 Zakheim (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 people are called Zakheim?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Zakheim, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.