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

Zenk, 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 Zenk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zenk in America

Zenk is the 28100th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zenk surname appeared 852 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 Zenk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zenk 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 Zenk

The surname Zenk originates from Germany, with its roots stretching back to at least the 12th century. It likely stems from the Middle High German word "zinke," meaning "prong" or "point," which could have been a nickname for someone with distinctive pointed features or an occupational name for someone who made or sold prongs. Another possible origin is the Old High German word "zinn," meaning "tin," which might refer to a worker in a tin mine or someone who worked with tin.

The name appeared in historical records in various forms, such as Zeng or Zing, often reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic spellings of the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is from a medieval manuscript dated 1186, which mentions a Heinrich Zenk in the context of a land grant in what is now the state of Bavaria in Germany.

In the 14th century, records from the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe, mention a merchant named Johann Zenk who traded extensively in Amsterdam and Lübeck. His accounts provide one of the earliest instances of the surname recorded in connection with international trade.

In the late 16th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Werner Zenk, born in 1540 and known as a prominent theologian and scholar in the Bavarian town of Augsburg. His writings on ecclesiastical history were influential in the academic circles of the Holy Roman Empire.

Moving to the 18th century, during the Enlightenment, Martin Zenk (1702-1776), a renowned physician and chemist from Vienna, gained fame for his contributions to early pharmaceutical studies. His work in developing medicinal compounds was highly regarded, and several medical texts from this period reference his studies.

In the 19th century, the surname appeared in the artistic realms. Karl Zenk (1805-1881) was a celebrated composer and conductor from Munich. He played a significant role in the development of Romantic music in Germany and was known for his symphonies and operas, which were performed in major European cities.

Thus, the surname Zenk has a rich history that traverses various professions, including trade, theology, medicine, and the arts, reflecting the diverse paths of those who bore the name through the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zenk

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

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

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

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