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

Zegar, 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 Zegar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zegar in America

Zegar is the 51396th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zegar surname appeared 405 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 Zegar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zegar 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 Zegar

The surname Zegar has its origins in Poland, a country with a rich history of diverse cultural and linguistic influences. The name is thought to have derived from an older term in Polish, "zegarmistrz," which translates to "clockmaker" or "watchmaker." The root word "zegara" in Polish refers to a clock or a watch, indicating that the original bearers of this surname were likely involved in timekeeping professions. This surname first appeared in historical records during the Middle Ages, roughly around the 12th to 13th centuries, a period when surnames began to be used more consistently across Europe.

Early references to the surname Zegar can be traced to Polish church records and civic documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. These records often listed individuals by both their given name and occupation, making it easier to identify the occupational origin of the surname. An example includes a record from 1410 in Krakow mentioning a Jan Zegar, identified as a skilled clockmaker in the city. This period was vital for craftsmen, as urban centers in Poland were growing and required skilled artisans.

One of the earliest well-documented individuals with this surname is Stanisław Zegar, born around 1425 and known to have been active until his death in 1490. He lived in the region of Pomerania, a historical area situated on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. His contribution to the local community as a clockmaker was recorded in various guild records and municipal logs. Another notable figure in the history of the Zegar surname is Katarzyna Zegar, a woman from the early 16th century, approximately born in 1502 and deceased by 1570, who inherited and continued her husband’s clockmaking business in Warsaw after his untimely death.

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the surname Zegar appeared increasingly in legal documents and marriage registers. A prominent individual from this period is Jakub Zegar, born in 1588, who was a renowned clockmaker involved in maintaining the clocks of several important churches in Poznań. His work was well-documented by the local cathedral chapter, highlighting his craftsmanship up until his death in 1651.

By the 18th century, the surname had become more widespread across the regions of Silesia and Greater Poland. Records from the 1750s cite Antoni Zegar, born in 1720 and died in 1789, as an exceptional clockmaker whose work was commissioned by several noble families. His precision and innovation in clockmaking are well-noted in surviving invoices and correspondence in regional archives.

In subsequent years, as Poland underwent various partitions and political changes, the Zegar surname, like many others, spread further into neighboring regions such as Lithuania and the Czech lands. One 19th-century notable example is Ludwik Zegar, born in 1823, who played a significant role in the burgeoning industrial revolution, adapting traditional clockmaking techniques to new industrial standards until his death in 1883. His legacy includes several patented innovations in horology, highlighted in industrial records of that era.

Overall, the surname Zegar has a rich history firmly rooted in the clockmaking and watchmaking profession, with a well-documented presence in historical records and regional archives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zegar

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

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

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

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