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

Zelinger, 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 Zelinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zelinger in America

Zelinger is the 93125th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zelinger surname appeared 197 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 Zelinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zelinger 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 Zelinger

The surname Zelinger traces its origins to central Europe, specifically within the regions that now comprise modern-day Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The surname likely emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "zelin," which means "tent," paired with the suffix "-inger," indicative of an inhabitant or someone associated with a particular place. The name Zelinger may originally have been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold tents or possibly an indication of a place where tents were commonly found.

In historical records, the surname Zelinger appears sporadically, often within ecclesiastical documents, tax rosters, and regional chronicles. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zelinger can be found in a 14th-century document from Bavaria, where a certain Dietrich Zelinger is mentioned as having been granted land in exchange for his service to a local lord.

The surname appears in various medieval manuscripts, including the tax registers of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 15th century, a monk named Johannes Zelinger, born in 1412 and died in 1480, transcribed religious texts in a monastery in what is now Austria. Zelinger's meticulous records of clerical events provide a fascinating glimpse into monastic life during his time.

Another notable historical figure bearing the name Zelinger is Dr. Martin Zelinger, born in 1521 and died in 1598, a prominent physician in the court of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. Dr. Zelinger's medical treatises, written in Latin, were considered authoritative works on early modern medical practices and were preserved in imperial archives.

In the mid-17th century, a soldier named Hans Jacob Zelinger, born in 1630 and died in 1685, served in the Thirty Years' War. He is recorded in military logs as having shown extraordinary bravery during the Siege of Magdeburg, an event documented in various military annals.

The name underwent slight modifications in spelling over centuries. Variants such as Sellenger and Zellinger can be found in regional dialects and texts. Johann von Zelinger, born in 1785 and died in 1854, a noted composer from Vienna, significantly contributed to Austrian classical music. His compositions, archived in the Austrian National Library, illustrate the cultural contributions of the Zelinger lineage.

In 19th-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, records mention a family of Zelinger who were local merchants. One prominent member, Tomas Zelinger, born in 1835 and died in 1902, became a notable advocate for economic reforms and was active in regional politics.

As the modern era approached, the Zelinger surname continued to spread, carried by migrations and the diaspora of central European populations. The documented history of the surname Zelinger provides a rich tapestry of historical, occupational, and cultural significance tied to central European heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zelinger

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Zelinger, 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!