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

Zayatz, 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 Zayatz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zayatz in America

Zayatz is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zayatz surname appeared 111 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 Zayatz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zayatz 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 Zayatz

The surname Zayatz is of Eastern Slavic origin, specifically emanating from regions that today comprise Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. It finds its earliest roots in the Medieval period, likely around the 14th or 15th century. The name is derived from the East Slavic word "заяц" (zayats), meaning "hare" in Russian and other related languages. The term itself was originally used as a nickname, possibly characterizing someone who was swift or had notable characteristics reminiscent of a hare.

In historical contexts, the surname Zayatz appears intermittently in various records. One of the earliest mentions is found in 16th-century tax and property documents from regions in Belarus. In these manuscripts, names were often listed for taxation purposes, providing a glimpse into the surname's antiquity. For example, a landowner by the name of Ivan Zayatz was recorded in the 1581 "Lithuanian Metrica," a collection of documents for administrative and legal proceedings.

Eastern Slavic lands, particularly the areas around Pinsk and Minsk in modern-day Belarus, show early concentrations of the name. In Ukrainian historical records, a nobleman by the name of Andriy Zayatz served as a minor official in the Lviv region around 1623. His contributions to local governance are noted in municipal records.

Moving a few centuries forward, one notable figure is the Russian folklorist and ethnographer Olga Zayatz, born in 1898 and active until her death in 1972. Her extensive work in cataloging Eastern Slavic folklore has enriched the cultural understanding of the region. Another noteworthy individual, Stepan Zayatz, a Ukrainian resistance fighter during World War II, born in 1919, played a significant role in the Ukrainian insurgent movement. His life and activities are documented in various wartime memoirs.

In the realm of science, the name Zayatz is also associated with pioneering research. Aleksandr Zayatz, born in 1954, contributed significantly to theoretical physics, particularly in optics and quantum theory. His extensive publications in the latter half of the 20th century have left a lasting impact on the academic community. Another individual, Mikhail Zayatz, was an influential political figure in Soviet-era Belarus, holding a high-ranking administrative position from the late 1970s into the early 1990s.

Throughout its history, the surname Zayatz has been linked to various spellings reflecting linguistic and regional differences. In older documents, variations such as Zayats, Zajac, and Zajats can be found, indicating phonetic translations and local dialectical influences. Despite its relatively rare occurrence in global terms, the name Zayatz has a rich heritage closely tied to the cultural and historical tapestry of Eastern Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zayatz

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

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 Zayatz 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 Zayatz 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 Zayatz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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