2000
#2,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.68
Uncommon Last name
Zeigler
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of tiles or bricks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,579 Americans carry the last name Zeigler. That puts it at #2,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zeigler 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
15K
1 in 23,510
Census rank
#2,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,714 bearers of the surname Zeigler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zeigler
The surname Zeigler has its origins in the German language and is first recorded in the 14th century. It is derived from the occupation of a maker or seller of roof tiles, known as a "Ziegler" or "Ziegeler" in German. This occupation was particularly prevalent in regions of central and southern Germany, where clay was readily available for the production of roof tiles.
The earliest known record of the Zeigler surname appears in the Heidelberg tax rolls from the year 1384, where a "Heinrich Ziegeler" is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name had already been established as a hereditary surname in the Heidelberg area by the late 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Zeigler name is found in various legal and church records throughout the German states, indicating its widespread use. For instance, a "Hans Ziegler" is mentioned in a land deed from the town of Nuremberg in 1427.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Zeigler surname began to spread beyond the borders of Germany as a result of migration and religious persecution. Notable individuals bearing this name include Johann Ziegler (1480-1549), a German humanist scholar and historian, and Caspar Ziegler (1621-1690), a German theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg.
As the name spread, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Zeygler, Zeygeler, and Ziegler. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the individual preferences of scribes and record-keepers.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, several prominent figures with the Zeigler surname emerged, including Johann Gottfried Zeigler (1726-1798), a German theologian and writer, and Friedrich Wilhelm von Zeigler (1763-1827), a Prussian general who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
Other notable individuals with this surname include Carl Zeigler (1842-1913), an American politician and businessman who served as the 14th Governor of Oregon, and Ernst Zeigler (1868-1948), a German zoologist and professor at the University of Munich.
The Zeigler surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Zeiglersheim, a village in Bavaria, Germany, and Zeiglerrieden, a municipality in the district of Dingolfing-Landau, also in Bavaria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zeigler
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Zeigler 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 Zeigler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 9,156
- Black or African American21.5% · 2,728
- Two or more races3.3% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 271
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zeigler
Zeigler 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
#2,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,135
+509 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 4.45
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#2,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,714
-421 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,631 | 12,626 | 4.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,742 | 13,135 | 4.45 | +509 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #2,761 | 12,714 | 4.25 | -421 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 19 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 Zeigler 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 | #2,742 | #2,761 | -0.7% |
| Count | 13,135 | 12,714 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.45 | 4.25 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zeigler bearers went from 13,135 to 12,714 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,742 to #2,761.
FAQ
Zeigler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zeigler?
Name Census estimates that about 14,579 living Americans carry the surname Zeigler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,510 residents.
How common is Zeigler?
Zeigler ranks #2,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,714 people with the surname Zeigler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Zeigler.
Has Zeigler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zeigler went from 13,135 recorded bearers to 12,714. That is a decrease of 421 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,742 to #2,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Zeigler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Zeigler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (9,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zeigler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (21.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Zeigler (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 Zeigler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of tiles or bricks. 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 Zeigler (4.25 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 Americans have the surname Zeigler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.