2000
#11,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Zehr
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "zehrære," meaning "one who consumes or uses up."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,691 Americans carry the last name Zehr. That puts it at #9,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,862 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zehr 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
3.7K
1 in 92,862
Census rank
#9,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,219 bearers of the surname Zehr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zehr
The surname Zehr has its origins in Germany, traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "zern," meaning "to wander" or "to migrate." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned as a descriptive name for someone who traveled frequently or had recently relocated.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Zehr name can be found in the town records of Ulm, Germany, dating back to 1589, where a certain Hans Zehr was mentioned as a resident. The name also appeared in various church registers and tax records in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, the Zehr surname gained prominence in the Mennonite communities of Switzerland and southern Germany. Many Mennonites with the Zehr name immigrated to North America, particularly to Ontario, Canada, and Pennsylvania, USA, seeking religious freedom and new opportunities.
One notable bearer of the Zehr name was Johann Zehr (1699-1786), a Mennonite minister and farmer from the region of Palatinate, Germany. He played a significant role in the early Mennonite settlements in Pennsylvania and is considered an important figure in the history of the Mennonite faith in North America.
Another individual of historical significance was David Zehr (1804-1879), a Mennonite bishop and farmer from Ontario, Canada. He was instrumental in establishing several Mennonite congregations and promoting the growth of the Mennonite community in the region.
In the 20th century, Albert Zehr (1888-1974), a Canadian agronomist and educator, made significant contributions to the field of agricultural science. He is best known for his work on improving crop yields and developing new varieties of wheat and oats.
Elsie Zehr (1913-2000), a Canadian artist and painter, gained recognition for her vibrant landscape paintings depicting rural scenes from her native Ontario. Her works are part of numerous private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada.
The Zehr surname can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as Zehren, a municipality in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Zehrental, a valley located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. These geographical locations may have influenced the spelling variations of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zehr
Among Census respondents with the surname Zehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zehr 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 Zehr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 3,032
- Two or more races2.8% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zehr
Zehr 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
#10,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,015
+421 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 587 places
2020
#9,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,219
+204 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 974 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,207 | 2,594 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,620 | 3,015 | 1.02 | +421 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 587 places |
| 2020 | #9,646 | 3,219 | 1.08 | +204 bearers (+6.8%) | Up 974 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 Zehr 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 | #10,620 | #9,646 | 9.2% |
| Count | 3,015 | 3,219 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.08 | 5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zehr bearers went from 3,015 to 3,219 (+6.8% change). The surname moved up 974 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,620 to #9,646.
FAQ
Zehr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zehr?
Name Census estimates that about 3,691 living Americans carry the surname Zehr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,862 residents.
How common is Zehr?
Zehr ranks #9,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,219 people with the surname Zehr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Zehr.
Has Zehr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zehr went from 3,015 recorded bearers to 3,219. That is an increase of 204 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,620 to #9,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Zehr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zehr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (3,032 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zehr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zehr (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 Zehr mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "zehrære," meaning "one who consumes or uses up." 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 Zehr (1.08 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 Zehr?
You can see how many people are called Zehr on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.