2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zayatz
A surname of Russian origin meaning "rabbit" or "hare".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Zayatz. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zayatz 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Zayatz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zayatz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zayatz
Among Census respondents with the surname Zayatz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zayatz 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 Zayatz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zayatz
Zayatz 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,500 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-10 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 4,500 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 6,923 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 Zayatz 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 | #148,347 | #155,270 | -4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 101 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zayatz bearers went from 111 to 101 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 6,923 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,270.
FAQ
Zayatz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zayatz?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Zayatz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Zayatz?
Zayatz ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Zayatz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Zayatz.
Has Zayatz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zayatz went from 111 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Zayatz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zayatz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Zayatz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zayatz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (4.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Zayatz (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 Zayatz mean?
A surname of Russian origin meaning "rabbit" or "hare". 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 Zayatz (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 are called Zayatz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Zayatz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.