2000
#34,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Zemanek
A surname derived from the Slavic word "zeman," meaning a noble or landowner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 748 Americans carry the last name Zemanek. That puts it at #36,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 458,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zemanek 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
748
1 in 458,228
Census rank
#36,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
652
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 652 bearers of the surname Zemanek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zemanek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zemanek
The surname Zemanek originates from the Central and Eastern European regions, specifically from countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. The name has its roots in the Slavic word "zeman," which referred to a member of the lower nobility or a small landowner. This term was commonly used during the medieval period, a time when society in these regions was heavily stratified and land ownership was a significant marker of status.
Initially, surnames like Zemanek would have emerged around the 14th to 15th centuries when surnames started to become hereditary in these areas. The name is prevalent in rural regions where families were traditionally engaged in farming or small-scale landowning. It would not be unusual to find similar derivatives in old records, such as Zemánek in Czech or Żemaniec in Polish, reflecting slight shifts in spelling and pronunciation.
Historical references to this surname can be found in various archival documents and church records. For example, a mention in the Royal Czech Archives dated back to 1476 references a Matěj Zemanek, a small landowner from Moravia. This documentation suggests the name was well-established among the rural gentry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zemanek in Polish history comes from a 1523 Kraków municipal record, referencing a Jan Żemaniec, a local merchant. These city records provide insight into how the surname spread from rural areas to urban environments.
Famous bearers of the surname include Jan Zemanek (1694–1765), a notable figure in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth who served as a military officer. Another distinguished individual is Václav Zemanek (1730–1792), an influential Czech cleric and theologian whose writings significantly impacted religious thought in Bohemia.
In more modern history, Karol Zemanek (1856–1919), a Slovak botanist, made significant contributions to the field of plant sciences and is remembered for his extensive research and publications. Additionally, Ludmila Zemanek (1904–1982), a renowned Czech poet and novelist, gained fame for her literary works which often depicted rural Czech life and highlighted social issues.
The surname Zemanek has a rich history integral to the cultural and social development of Central and Eastern Europe. The name carries with it a legacy of small landowning, societal status, and contributions to various fields of knowledge and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zemanek
Among Census respondents with the surname Zemanek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zemanek 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 Zemanek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 605
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 20
- Two or more races2.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zemanek
Zemanek 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
#34,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 646
+30 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 205 places
2020
#36,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 652
+6 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,711 | 616 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,916 | 646 | 0.22 | +30 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 205 places |
| 2020 | #36,847 | 652 | 0.22 | +6 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,931 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 Zemanek 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 | #34,916 | #36,847 | -5.5% |
| Count | 646 | 652 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.22 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zemanek bearers went from 646 to 652 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,916 to #36,847.
FAQ
Zemanek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zemanek?
Name Census estimates that about 748 living Americans carry the surname Zemanek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 458,228 residents.
How common is Zemanek?
Zemanek ranks #36,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 652 people with the surname Zemanek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (748), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Zemanek.
Has Zemanek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zemanek went from 646 recorded bearers to 652. That is an increase of 6 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,916 to #36,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Zemanek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zemanek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Zemanek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (605 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zemanek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Zemanek (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 Zemanek mean?
A surname derived from the Slavic word "zeman," meaning a noble or landowner. 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 Zemanek (0.22 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 common is the surname Zemanek?
See how many Americans have the surname Zemanek on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.