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

Zelman, 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 Zelman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zelman in America

Zelman is the 36204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zelman surname appeared 619 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 Zelman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zelman 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 Zelman

The surname Zelman finds its origins in Eastern Europe, likely stemming from regions that are now part of Poland, Germany, or the broader area influenced by Yiddish-speaking Jewish communities. The name Zelman is derived from the Hebrew name Solomon, which means "peaceable" or "peaceful" in Hebrew. The transformation from Solomon to Zelman likely occurred through the Germanic linguistic influences, where the letter 'S' often gets replaced by 'Z', and 'ol' by 'el'.

Early records on the surname Zelman are sparse, but it appears in various historical documents through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance period. One of the earliest appearances is in a 14th-century German manuscript, where a merchant named Jacob Zelman is documented. This indicates the surname may have been used by Jewish merchants and communities engaged in trade across Europe.

The surname appears in a variety of spellings in different regions, including Selman and Zielman, each one showing the linguistic adaptation to local dialects and orthographic norms. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Zelman family is recorded in several 15th-century land registers, indicating they were landowners or had some form of nobility or significant social standing.

The transition of the surname over centuries is also observable in place names. There is a village in Poland named Zielmanowice, which may have connections to the Zelman surname, suggesting that the name had enough prominence to influence local geographical names.

In terms of prominent historical figures, Moses Zelman, born in 1690 and died in 1755, was a noted rabbi and scholar in Prague, contributing significantly to Jewish theological studies. Another notable figure is Samuel Zelman, a merchant in 18th-century Berlin who played a crucial role in the commercial expansion of the Jewish community in the city.

Moving into the 19th century, David Zelman, born in 1825 and died in 1901, was an influential banker and philanthropist in Warsaw. His efforts in the financial sector helped stabilize and grow the economic conditions for many Jewish families in the region. In the artistic realm, Klara Zelman, born in 1862 and died in 1919, was a prolific painter whose works highlighted everyday life among Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.

In literature, Benjamin Zelman, born in 1870 and died in 1938, was an acclaimed author known for his vivid descriptions of Jewish life and traditions in his novels. His contributions to Yiddish literature are still celebrated in literary circles.

Overall, the surname Zelman carries a rich history entrenched in religious, commercial, and cultural significance in Eastern European Jewish communities. The evolution of the name highlights the mobility and adaptability of Jewish populations during periods of change and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zelman

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

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

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

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