2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zemer
A Hebrew surname derived from the Hebrew word "zemer" meaning "song" or "melody".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Zemer. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zemer 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Zemer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zemer, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zemer
The surname Zemer is believed to have its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically within the Jewish communities that were historically present in countries such as Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. The name Zemer likely emerged during the medieval period, roughly around the 14th or 15th century. Areas such as the Russian Pale of Settlement or the Jewish shtetls of Poland were typical regions where names like Zemer would be found.
Zemer derives from the Hebrew word "זָמַר" (zamar), which means “to sing” or “to praise.” This etymology reflects a historical practice where surnames were often descriptive of a family's occupation or notable attribute. The name may have been adopted by families involved in musical professions or religious ceremonies involving song. In Yiddish-speaking regions, this root remained prominent, often associated with individuals who were cantors or musicians.
Historical references to the surname can be elusive given the turbulent history of Jewish record-keeping, frequently disrupted by war and displacement. Nonetheless, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zemer can be found in a 16th-century community ledger in Krakow, Poland, where it is listed among other Jewish family names. This record highlights the surname's prevalence in important urban centers of Jewish life.
Another significant historical bearer was Avraham Zemer, a notable rabbi and Talmudic scholar born in Vilna (Vilnius) in 1674 and passing away in 1750. His contributions to Jewish legal texts are still studied today, reflecting the scholarly heritage that the surname embodies.
In the early 19th century, a figure named Moshe Zemer immigrated from Lithuania to what was then Prussian-occupied Poland. He became a merchant and community leader in the growing urban center of Warsaw, playing a crucial role in the Jewish community's economic development.
By the late 19th century, David Zemer, born in 1851 in Minsk, Belarus, gained prominence as a Zionist activist. He was instrumental in the early settlement activities that eventually led to the founding of the modern state of Israel. His efforts were pivotal in the migration of Jews from Eastern Europe to Palestine in the early 20th century.
In a more artistic vein, Gershon Zemer, born in 1895 in Odessa, Ukraine, and passing away in 1959, was a noted composer and conductor. He made significant contributions to Jewish liturgical music and is remembered for his innovative arrangements of traditional melodies.
Through these historical records and significant individuals, the surname Zemer has maintained a legacy that blends musical, scholarly, and community leadership attributes. It is a name that carries with it the echoes of a rich cultural and historical heritage, reflective of its etymological roots in song and praise.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zemer
Among Census respondents with the surname Zemer, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Zemer 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 Zemer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zemer
Zemer 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-25 bearers (-17.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,297 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,805 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-17.7%) | Down 28,297 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 4,805 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 Zemer 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 | #143,149 | #147,954 | -3.4% |
| Count | 116 | 112 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zemer bearers went from 116 to 112 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 4,805 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,954.
FAQ
Zemer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zemer?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Zemer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Zemer?
Zemer ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Zemer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Zemer.
Has Zemer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zemer went from 116 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Zemer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zemer, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Zemer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zemer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Zemer (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 Zemer mean?
A Hebrew surname derived from the Hebrew word "zemer" meaning "song" or "melody". 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 Zemer (0.04 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 people are called Zemer?
See how many people have the last name Zemer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.