2000
#7,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Zander
A diminutive form of Alexander, derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of mankind."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,861 Americans carry the last name Zander. That puts it at #7,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,511 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zander 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
4.9K
1 in 70,511
Census rank
#7,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,239 bearers of the surname Zander in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zander, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zander
The surname Zander has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the early 14th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Alexander, which itself comes from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of men."
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Zander, Zanders, and Zanderes in various German regions, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River and in Westphalia. These early variations likely arose from local dialects and accents.
One of the earliest known references to the Zander name can be found in the Werdener Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the town of Werden, where a certain Hermannus Zander is mentioned in a record dated 1348.
The name Zander also appeared in the Bergisches Land, a region in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where a family bearing this surname owned land and properties in the 16th century. One notable member of this family was Johann Zander (1523-1597), a wealthy merchant and landowner.
In the 17th century, the name Zander spread to other parts of Germany, including Saxony and Brandenburg. During this time, the name was also found in the records of some German-speaking communities in neighboring countries, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland.
One of the earliest known Zanders in the Netherlands was Johan Zander (1612-1678), a merchant from Amsterdam who traded with the Dutch East Indies. In Switzerland, the name appeared in the canton of Basel, where a family of Zanders lived in the 18th century.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the Zander surname is Johann Zander (1796-1857), a German theologian and professor at the University of Greifswald. Another prominent Zander was Gustav Zander (1835-1920), a Swedish physician and inventor who developed various exercise machines and therapy devices.
Other notable individuals with the Zander surname include Ernst Zander (1854-1943), a German architect known for his work on churches and public buildings in Berlin, and Alfred Zander (1891-1959), an American artist and illustrator who worked for various publications and advertising agencies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zander
Among Census respondents with the surname Zander, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zander 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 Zander surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 3,853
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 127
- Black or African American2.5% · 105
- Two or more races2.4% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zander
Zander 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
#7,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,518
+176 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 274 places
2020
#7,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,239
-279 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,099 | 4,342 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,373 | 4,518 | 1.53 | +176 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 274 places |
| 2020 | #7,555 | 4,239 | 1.42 | -279 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 182 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 Zander 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 | #7,373 | #7,555 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,518 | 4,239 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.42 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zander bearers went from 4,518 to 4,239 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,373 to #7,555.
FAQ
Zander surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zander?
Name Census estimates that about 4,861 living Americans carry the surname Zander. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,511 residents.
How common is Zander?
Zander ranks #7,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,239 people with the surname Zander. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,861), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Zander.
Has Zander become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zander went from 4,518 recorded bearers to 4,239. That is a decrease of 279 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,373 to #7,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Zander?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zander, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Zander in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (3,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zander appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), Black (2.5%). 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 Zander (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 Zander mean?
A diminutive form of Alexander, derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of mankind." 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 Zander (1.42 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 Zander?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.