2000
#15,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,757
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Zanders
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Alexander, meaning "defender of mankind" in Greek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,316 Americans carry the last name Zanders. That puts it at #14,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,994 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zanders 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
2.3K
1 in 147,994
Census rank
#14,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,020 bearers of the surname Zanders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zanders, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 14th century, the name Zanders appears in various historical documents from the Netherlands, such as tax records and land deeds.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zanders
Among Census respondents with the surname Zanders, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zanders 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 Zanders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.8% · 1,451
- White19.8% · 400
- Two or more races4.9% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zanders
Zanders 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
#14,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,040
+283 bearers (+16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 759 places
2020
#14,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,020
-20 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 326 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,350 | 1,757 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,591 | 2,040 | 0.69 | +283 bearers (+16.1%) | Up 759 places |
| 2020 | #14,265 | 2,020 | 0.68 | -20 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 326 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 Zanders 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 | #14,591 | #14,265 | 2.2% |
| Count | 2,040 | 2,020 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.68 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zanders bearers went from 2,040 to 2,020 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 326 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,591 to #14,265.
FAQ
Zanders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zanders?
Name Census estimates that about 2,316 living Americans carry the surname Zanders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,994 residents.
How common is Zanders?
Zanders ranks #14,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,020 people with the surname Zanders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Zanders.
Has Zanders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zanders went from 2,040 recorded bearers to 2,020. That is a decrease of 20 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,591 to #14,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Zanders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zanders, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zanders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (1,451 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zanders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.8%), White (19.8%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Zanders (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 Zanders mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Alexander, meaning "defender of mankind" in Greek. 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 Zanders (0.68 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 Zanders?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Zanders is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.