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

Zeff, 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 Zeff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zeff in America

Zeff is the 48256th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zeff surname appeared 438 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 Zeff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zeff 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 Zeff

The surname Zeff is believed to have originated from countries with substantial Ashkenazi Jewish populations, such as Germany, Poland, and Russia. Its etymology can be traced back to the Yiddish and German elements, with roots possibly connected to the word zephir, meaning “west wind” in German, which in turn derives from the Greek zephyros. The name may also have connections to the Hebrew name Yosef, as surname adoption sometimes involved modifying or abbreviating given names.

Historical records and manuscripts suggest the use of variations of the surname Zeff in different regions. Early instances may be found documented in Jewish community records or tax registers. While the name is not present in significant medieval records like the Domesday Book due to geographical and cultural avoidance, it emerges in the 17th and 18th centuries in Jewish ghettos and Polish archives.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Zeff is Mendel Zeff, a merchant from Krakow, Poland, whose name appears in trade documents from 1725. The family of Shmuel Zeff, a well-known tailor in Warsaw in the mid-1800s, carried the surname through several generations, with records noting their involvement in Jewish communal life. In the early 1930s, Louis Zeff, a prominent figure in New York’s printing industry, is noted for his contributions to local Jewish culture.

A later renowned personality, Thelma Zeff, born in 1906 in Odessa and emigrated to the United States in 1921, became a celebrated artist in the 20th century, holding exhibitions internationally. Her works often reflect the struggles and resilience of the immigrant experience. Finally, Isaac Zeff, born in 1918 in Vilnius, was known for his scholarly contributions to Judaic studies and published numerous articles that helped preserve and analyze Jewish history during the turbulent mid-20th century.

These historical examples highlight the presence and persistence of the surname Zeff across various regions and time periods, demonstrating its notable contributions to cultural and intellectual life. The surname resonates with historical depth, rooted in European Jewish traditions and carried forward across the globe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zeff

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

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

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

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