2000
#10,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Zastrow
A habitational surname of Slavic origin, derived from a place name meaning "behind the grass" or "behind the clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,004 Americans carry the last name Zastrow. That puts it at #11,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zastrow 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
3.0K
1 in 114,099
Census rank
#11,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,620 bearers of the surname Zastrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zastrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zastrow
The surname Zastrow is of German origin, derived from the Polish town of Zastrzeż. It first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, in the region of Pomerania, which spans parts of modern-day Germany and Poland. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old Slavic word "zastřęžĭ," meaning "watchman" or "guard," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have been involved in military or security-related roles.
The earliest recorded instance of the Zastrow name can be traced back to a document from the year 1370, which mentions a certain "Hinricus de Zastrow." This individual was likely a landowner or a member of the local nobility in the Pomeranian region. Other early spellings of the name include "Zastroe," "Zastrohe," and "Zastrowhe," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and transcription common in that era.
One notable individual bearing the Zastrow surname was Hans von Zastrow, a Prussian nobleman and military commander who lived from 1520 to 1607. He played a significant role in the Prussian-Polish War and was appointed as the governor of Marienburg (now Malbork, Poland) by the Duke of Prussia, Albert Frederick.
Another prominent figure was Johann Kaspar Zastrow (1648-1721), a German jurist and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Brandenburg-Prussia under King Frederick I. He was instrumental in implementing administrative reforms and modernizing the Prussian legal system.
In the realm of literature, Carl Zastrow (1781-1835) was a German poet and playwright known for his satirical works. He was a member of the influential Göttinger Hainbund literary circle and contributed to the development of German Romantic literature.
The Zastrow name also has a connection to the military history of Prussia and Germany. Heinrich Adolf von Zastrow (1801-1875) was a Prussian general who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. He was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite, Prussia's highest military order, for his bravery and leadership.
Lastly, Friedrich Wilhelm von Zastrow (1841-1915) was a German politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Germany from 1909 to 1910. He played a crucial role in shaping Germany's foreign policy during the years leading up to World War I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zastrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Zastrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Zastrow 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 Zastrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,470
- Two or more races2.5% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zastrow
Zastrow 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
#11,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,781
-50 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 917 places
2020
#11,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,620
-161 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,426 | 2,831 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,343 | 2,781 | 0.94 | -50 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 917 places |
| 2020 | #11,492 | 2,620 | 0.88 | -161 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 149 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 Zastrow 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 | #11,343 | #11,492 | -1.3% |
| Count | 2,781 | 2,620 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.88 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zastrow bearers went from 2,781 to 2,620 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,343 to #11,492.
FAQ
Zastrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zastrow?
Name Census estimates that about 3,004 living Americans carry the surname Zastrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,099 residents.
How common is Zastrow?
Zastrow ranks #11,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,620 people with the surname Zastrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Zastrow.
Has Zastrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zastrow went from 2,781 recorded bearers to 2,620. That is a decrease of 161 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,343 to #11,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Zastrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zastrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Zastrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zastrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Zastrow (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 Zastrow mean?
A habitational surname of Slavic origin, derived from a place name meaning "behind the grass" or "behind the clearing." 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 Zastrow (0.88 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 Zastrow?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.