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

Zeeb, 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 Zeeb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zeeb in America

Zeeb is the 33164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zeeb surname appeared 690 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 Zeeb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zeeb 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 Zeeb

The surname ZEEB is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "zebe," meaning a tuft of hair or a tassel. This term may have been used as a nickname for someone with an unkempt or tousled hairstyle, which later became a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town of Nördlingen in the 14th century, where a certain Hanns Zeb is mentioned in a legal document from 1367. The spelling variation "Zeeb" likely emerged due to regional dialect variations and the influence of the local Swabian German dialect.

In the 15th century, the surname ZEEB appeared in various records across southern Germany, including in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Cuntz Zeb is documented in the town's tax records from 1487. This suggests that the name had spread across the region by that time.

The earliest known person of note with the surname ZEEB was Johann Zeeb, a Protestant theologian and reformer born in Nuremberg in 1510. He studied under Martin Luther and was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement in Germany.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Matthias Zeeb (1621-1689), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, primarily religious and allegorical scenes, can be found in various churches and collections across Germany.

Another significant figure was Johann Michael Zeeb (1736-1808), a German composer and organist from Mannheim. He served as the court organist for the Elector Palatine and composed numerous works for organ and other instruments.

In the 19th century, Johann Georg Zeeb (1821-1888) was a German-American educator and author. He immigrated to the United States in 1847 and taught at various institutions, including the German-English Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He published several textbooks on German language and literature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States dates back to the mid-18th century, when Johann Georg Zeeb arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 from the Palatinate region of Germany. This suggests that the name was carried to the New World by German immigrants during the colonial era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zeeb

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

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

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

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