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

Zeis, 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 Zeis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zeis in America

Zeis is the 29661st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zeis surname appeared 794 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 Zeis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zeis 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 Zeis

The surname Zeis is of German origin and appears to have been first recorded in the regions of modern-day Germany, particularly in what is now Bavaria and Saxony. The name dates back to at least the medieval period, possibly emerging sometime around the 12th or 13th centuries. It is believed to be derived from an old German word, possibly "zeise" or "zeisig", which referred to a type of small bird known as a siskin. This derivation suggests that the name could have originally been used as a nickname, based on some characteristic associated with the bird, such as liveliness or a particular song.

Historical references to the surname Zeis appear in various old records and manuscripts. For example, in the 14th-century tax records from the region of Bavaria, a man named Heinrich Zeis is listed as a taxpayer in the year 1378. This suggests that the name was not only present but also established in the region by that time.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in church registries in Saxony dating back to the late 15th century. In 1489, a marriage between Wilhelm Zeis and Anna Kranich took place in Dresden, highlighting the name's presence in this area. These early records indicate the spread and establishment of the surname within different parts of Germany over the centuries.

Several variations and older spellings of the surname include Zeiss, Zeyss, and Zeys, with the differences often attributed to regional dialects and the evolution of written language over time. These variations can be mostly observed in old documents like birth and marriage records, property deeds, and legal documents.

Among the notable people with this surname is Johann Zeis, a 16th-century Bavarian craftsman known for his skill in woodcarving and who contributed to several significant altarpieces in the region, his work dating around the 1560s. Another prominent figure is Friedrich Zeis, born in 1612 and documented in the archives of the University of Leipzig, where he served as a professor of theology until his death in 1687.

In the 18th century, Hans Georg Zeis (born 1730, died 1796) gained recognition as a reputable clockmaker in Berlin, contributing to the development of intricate timepieces. The name also appears in military records from the Napoleonic Wars; Captain Karl Zeis (1787-1824) served with distinction in various campaigns, indicating the family’s involvement in significant historical events.

In the realm of the arts, Philipp Zeis (1893-1951) emerged as a notable early 20th-century German painter known for his expressionist works, reflecting the cultural and artistic movements of his time.

Tracing the surname Zeis through these historical contexts provides a glimpse into the rich tapestry that constitutes its lineage, encapsulating various roles from artisans to academics and military figures, all contributing to the enduring legacy of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zeis

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!