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

Zanders, 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 Zanders surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zanders in America

Zanders is the 14591st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zanders surname appeared 2,040 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Zanders.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zanders 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 Zanders

The surname Zanders originated in the Netherlands during the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch given name 'Sander', which is a shortened form of 'Alexander'. The name Zanders likely developed as a patronymic, meaning 'son of Sander'.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zanders can be found in a Dutch census record from the year 1275, where a man named Gheryt Zanders is listed as a resident of the city of Utrecht. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.

In the 14th century, the name Zanders appears in various historical documents from the Netherlands, such as tax records and land deeds. For example, a man named Jan Zanders is mentioned in a land transfer document from the city of Leiden, dated 1348.

During the 16th century, the name Zanders began to spread beyond the Netherlands, as Dutch settlers and traders established colonies and trading outposts around the world. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Willem Zanders, a Dutch explorer and navigator who was born in Amsterdam in 1563 and is believed to have sailed with the famous explorer Abel Tasman on his voyages to the East Indies.

In the 17th century, the Zanders surname can be found in historical records from various parts of Europe, including Germany, France, and England. This was likely due to migration and intermarriage between Dutch families and other European populations.

One prominent individual with the Zanders surname from this era was Johannes Zanders, a Dutch painter who was born in Haarlem in 1630 and is known for his portraits and genre scenes depicting everyday life in the Netherlands.

As the Zanders name continued to spread throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals emerged, including:

1. Pieter Zanders (1766-1842), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Rotterdam from 1805 to 1814.

2. Gustav Zanders (1837-1920), a German engineer and inventor who pioneered the use of compressed air technology in various industrial applications.

3. Marie Zanders (1858-1926), a French opera singer and vocal teacher who performed at the Paris Opera and taught at the Paris Conservatory.

4. Ernst Zanders (1892-1969), a German-American architect and urban planner who worked extensively in New York City and was known for his contributions to the design of public housing projects.

5. Paul Zanders (1918-2003), a Dutch artist and sculptor who was best known for his abstract metal sculptures and public art installations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zanders

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

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

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

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