2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zavoda
A surname of South Slavic origin, potentially referring to a foundry or factory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Zavoda. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zavoda 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Zavoda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zavoda, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zavoda
The surname Zavoda derives from Eastern European regions, particularly areas that are now part of modern-day Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary. The name likely emerged in the context of Slavic-speaking communities during the medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries. Zavoda is believed to originate from the Slavic word "zavod," which means "factory" or "plant," suggesting that the name could have been occupational, referring to someone who worked in or owned a mill or factory.
The name appears in historical documents from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which once spanned parts of Central and Eastern Europe. One of the earliest references can be traced to tax records and trade documents from the late 1400s. These early records often had variations in spelling such as Zawoda and Zavoda, reflecting the phonetic translations used by scribes of the era.
In the late 1500s, a record from a Hungarian registry mentions a Janos Zavoda, a tailor residing in what is now Bratislava. Janos Zavoda lived approximately between 1562 and 1614. Another notable figure is Petar Zavoda, a blacksmith listed in 1638 in the town of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. His records indicate that the Zavoda family had begun to establish themselves in various trades.
By the 18th century, the name had spread further as individuals migrated due to wars or economic opportunities. In 1721, a Mikulas Zavoda is recorded as a landowner in Moravia, a region now part of the Czech Republic. His estate documents show transactions involving local farmlands, indicating the growing influence and affluence of the Zavoda family.
Industrially-advancing regions like Bohemia saw the name taking roots prominently through the 19th century. Ivan Zavoda, born in 1815 and died in 1877, was a noted inventor and engineer in Prague. He contributed to the development of textile machinery, aligning with the occupational origins of the surname.
In cultural history, Anna Zavoda, born in 1894 and died in 1963, gained recognition as a pioneering female educator in Budapest, Hungary. Her contributions to female education reform are well-documented in early 20th-century educational literature.
These historical individuals illustrate the surname Zavoda’s roots in labor and industry, evolving through centuries into various social roles. The consistent geographical spread from Hungary, Slovakia, and Czech regions marks the name’s longstanding presence in Central and Eastern Europe without delving into modern demographic studies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zavoda
Among Census respondents with the surname Zavoda, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zavoda 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 Zavoda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 98
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zavoda
Zavoda 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,946 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-16 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 3,946 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 12,533 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 Zavoda 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 | #143,149 | #155,682 | -8.8% |
| Count | 116 | 100 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zavoda bearers went from 116 to 100 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 12,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #155,682.
FAQ
Zavoda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zavoda?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Zavoda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Zavoda?
Zavoda ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Zavoda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Zavoda.
Has Zavoda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zavoda went from 116 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Zavoda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zavoda, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%). 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 Zavoda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zavoda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Black (2.0%). 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 Zavoda (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 Zavoda mean?
A surname of South Slavic origin, potentially referring to a foundry or factory. 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 Zavoda (0.03 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 Zavoda?
See how many Americans have the surname Zavoda on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.