Find out how popular the last name Zayat is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Zayat.

Zayat, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Zayat surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zayat in America

Zayat is the 108199th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zayat surname appeared 164 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Zayat.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zayat to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Zayat

The surname Zayat is believed to have originated from the Middle East, particularly within the regions encompassing modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The name finds its roots in the Arabic language where it is derived from the word "zayt," which means "olive." Historically, the suffix "at" indicates an occupation or role, making "Zayat" roughly translate to "olive merchant" or "one who presses olives."

Early records of the name Zayat can be traced back to Arabic manuscripts and documents from the medieval period. One of the earliest references to the name appears in a 12th-century registry of merchants in the Levant region, where families engaged in olive oil production and trade were significant players in the local economy. The name was associated with individuals who either owned olive groves or ran olive presses, critical industries in the agricultural and commercial activities of the area.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Zayat is Khalil Zayat, born in Antioch around 1245 and known for his role in the olive oil trade, which was a thriving industry at that time. Another prominent figure is Yousef Zayat, a Jerusalem-based merchant born in 1310, who expanded his olive oil business to Egypt and the broader Mediterranean region.

The name Zayat appears in several variations due to transliteration differences and regional linguistic influences. Variants such as Zayett, Zayed, and even Sayat have appeared in historical records. For example, an 18th-century Ottoman tax register lists a certain Ahmed Zayett, born in 1715, as a significant landowner in the Galilee, owning large tracts of olive groves.

In the 19th century, Fahed Zayat (1803-1875) gained recognition as a scholar and businessman in Beirut, contributing to the city's intellectual and cultural life while maintaining his family's olive trade legacy. Another notable figure, Ebrahim Zayat, born in Alexandria in 1842, played a crucial role in modernizing the olive oil industry in Egypt and improving production techniques.

Throughout history, the Zayat family has been involved in various significant events in the Middle East, and their contributions to the olive trade have had lasting impacts on the economic and social structures in the regions they inhabited. The name continues to reflect a rich heritage connected to the ancient agrarian practices and mercantile traditions of the Middle East.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zayat

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Zayat.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Zayat was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Zayat has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Zayat was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Zayat, please contact us.

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