2000
#38,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 548
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Zaring
A surname derived from the German word "zære" meaning field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 607 Americans carry the last name Zaring. That puts it at #43,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 564,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zaring 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
607
1 in 564,669
Census rank
#43,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
529
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 529 bearers of the surname Zaring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zaring
The surname Zaring is believed to have its origins in Germany during the medieval period, though exact records are sparse. The earliest regions associated with the name include the area around the Rhineland and Baden-Württemberg. Its etymology suggests intermingling with older Germanic names and spellings, potentially linked with the Old High German words "zarin" and "zaring," both of which can be associated with specific professions or geographic features, though their exact historical meanings require further research.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Zaring appears in 14th-century manuscript records pertaining to land ownership and municipal duties in the Rhineland. A notable example is a 1375 record where a Heinrich Zaring is mentioned as owning a modest tract of farmland. This marks one of the first occurrences of the name, establishing its presence in the region.
During the 16th century, the name Zaring continued to appear in various civic documents and parish registries. For instance, a Conrad Zaring, born in 1532 and deceased in 1598, was a minor nobleman who held a small estate near what is now the city of Mannheim. Records from this period often show alternative spellings such as Saring or Zahring, indicative of the fluid orthographic practices of the time.
The name Zaring also appears in emigration records from the 18th and early 19th centuries. One prominent emigrant was Johann Friedrich Zaring (1754-1821), who left Baden-Württemberg for the American colonies in the 1770s. He is noted for establishing an early German-American community in Pennsylvania, where the surname took root and evolved within the context of the new world.
Moving forward in history, another individual of note is Wilhelm Zaring, born in 1843 and died in 1910, who served as a military officer during the unification of Germany under Otto von Bismarck. His contributions to the Franco-Prussian War are documented in several military records, underscoring the name's association with significant historical events.
Finally, Hans Zaring, an early 20th-century figure, born in 1899, made his mark as an industrialist in pre-World War II Germany. His enterprise played a role in the economic revival of the Weimar Republic, and later, during the early Nazi era, although less is discussed about him post-World War II. This demonstrates the diverse paths taken by individuals with the surname through various historical epochs.
These documented individuals and their activities highlight the rich tapestry of history associated with the surname Zaring, reflecting its spread across regions and its integration into different facets of societal development. The surname's journey from medieval Germanic roots to international presence showcases the complexity and enduring legacy of family names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaring
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zaring 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 Zaring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 487
- Two or more races3.2% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zaring
Zaring 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
#39,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 550
+2 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 1,852 places
2020
#43,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 529
-21 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 3,999 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,035 | 548 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,887 | 550 | 0.19 | +2 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 1,852 places |
| 2020 | #43,886 | 529 | 0.18 | -21 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 3,999 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 Zaring 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 | #39,887 | #43,886 | -10.0% |
| Count | 550 | 529 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.18 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zaring bearers went from 550 to 529 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 3,999 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,887 to #43,886.
FAQ
Zaring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zaring?
Name Census estimates that about 607 living Americans carry the surname Zaring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 564,669 residents.
How common is Zaring?
Zaring ranks #43,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 529 people with the surname Zaring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Zaring.
Has Zaring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zaring went from 550 recorded bearers to 529. That is a decrease of 21 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,887 to #43,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Zaring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (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 Zaring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zaring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (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 Zaring (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 Zaring mean?
A surname derived from the German word "zære" meaning field or meadow. 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 Zaring (0.18 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 last name Zaring?
Find out how common the surname Zaring is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.