2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zaritsky
A surname of Eastern European origin, possibly derived from a location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Zaritsky. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zaritsky 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Zaritsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaritsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zaritsky
The surname Zaritsky originates from Eastern Europe, specifically within the regions that were once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and later the Russian Empire. The surname is traditionally associated with Ashkenazi Jewish communities, and its earliest roots can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th to 15th centuries. The name Zaritsky is believed to be derived from Old Slavic or Yiddish origins, with related terms and similar spellings suggesting a topographical connection.
The name "Zaritsky" potentially originates from the Yiddish and Slavic "zaritsa" or "zarets," meaning "princess" or relating to royalty, indicating perhaps someone who lived near or served a royal estate or important landmark. Another theory is that it could be linked to the geographic name "Zarichchi," a common place name in Eastern Europe, meaning "beyond the river" in Slavic languages. This connection to a physical location is a widely accepted pattern in surname formation during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Zaritsky appears in Polish tax records from the 16th century. These records indicate a Sephardic Jew named Isaac Zaritsky who inhabited the town of Kazimierz, near Krakow in 1569. This is the earliest documented usage of the surname in an official capacity. During this period, the Zaritsky family likely faced numerous social and economic challenges due to their Jewish heritage, especially given the fluctuating political and religious climates of Eastern Europe.
Moving into the 18th century, the surname Zaritsky continued to appear in various regional records. Rabbi David Zaritsky, born in 1703 and died in 1773, was a prominent religious scholar in what is now Ukraine. His works on Talmudic studies remain influential in rabbinical circles. His prominence helped to maintain the family's renown in Jewish communities within Eastern Europe.
In the 19th century, as part of the mass emigrations due to persecution and economic hardship, many Jewish families bearing the surname Zaritsky relocated to the Americas and other parts of Europe. One notable individual was Nahum Zaritsky, born in 1890 in Belarus and died in 1987 in Israel. He was a key figure in the Bezalel School art movement and helped to shape modern Israeli art. His contributions to cultural life were significant, earning him the Israel Prize in 1959.
During the World War II era, several individuals with the surname Zaritsky were involved in significant historical events. Among them was Sonia Zaritsky, a courageous member of the Jewish resistance in Warsaw, born in 1918 and tragically perished in 1943 during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Her legacy is commemorated in various Holocaust memorials.
Lastly, post World War II saw a resurgence of the surname in academic and professional circles. Dr. Michael Zaritsky, born in 1935 and passed away in 2010, was a renowned physicist whose research contributed significantly to the fields of quantum mechanics and particle physics. His academic work fostered crucial advancements and he received several honors for his contributions to science.
The surname Zaritsky, with its deep historical roots, reflects a rich tapestry of cultural, geographical, and social elements that have shaped its bearers' identities over the centuries. It serves as a poignant symbol of resilience, adaptation, and legacy within the Jewish diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaritsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaritsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zaritsky 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 Zaritsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zaritsky
Zaritsky 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 544 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 544 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,943 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 Zaritsky 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 | #137,327 | #144,270 | -5.1% |
| Count | 122 | 117 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zaritsky bearers went from 122 to 117 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #144,270.
FAQ
Zaritsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zaritsky?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Zaritsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Zaritsky?
Zaritsky ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Zaritsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Zaritsky.
Has Zaritsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zaritsky went from 122 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Zaritsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaritsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zaritsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zaritsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Zaritsky (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 Zaritsky mean?
A surname of Eastern European origin, possibly derived from a location name. 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 Zaritsky (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 Zaritsky?
If you just want to know how common the surname Zaritsky is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.