2000
#10,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Zeno
Derived from the Greek name Zeno, meaning "gift of Zeus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,412 Americans carry the last name Zeno. That puts it at #10,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,456 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zeno 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
3.4K
1 in 100,456
Census rank
#10,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,975 bearers of the surname Zeno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeno, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Hispanic (17.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zeno
The surname Zeno originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Venice. It can be traced back to the 13th century and is derived from the Greek name "Zenon," which means "gift of Zeus." The name is believed to have been brought to Italy by Greek settlers during the Byzantine era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zeno can be found in the Venetian archives from the year 1289, where a merchant named Marco Zeno is mentioned. The Zeno family was a prominent and influential noble family in Venice during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
In the 14th century, the brothers Nicolo and Antonio Zeno embarked on a legendary voyage to the North Atlantic, during which they claimed to have discovered lands that were later identified as parts of Greenland and North America. Their account, known as the "Zeno Narrative," has been a subject of debate among historians for centuries.
Another notable figure with the surname Zeno was the philosopher Apostolos Zenos (1468-1520), who was born in Crete and later taught in Venice. He was a influential scholar of Greek philosophy and contributed to the revival of Platonism during the Renaissance.
The Zeno surname also appears in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as the island of Sardinia. In the 16th century, Agostino Zeno (1529-1591) was a prominent Sardinian jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal matters.
During the Renaissance period, the Zeno family in Venice produced several notable figures, including the playwright and poet Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750), who is considered one of the pioneers of the Italian opera libretto.
In the 18th century, the philosopher and mathematician Niccolò Zeno (1713-1767) made significant contributions to the fields of calculus and fluid mechanics. He was born in Venice and later became a professor at the University of Padua.
Throughout history, the surname Zeno has been associated with various professions, including merchants, philosophers, writers, and scholars, reflecting the diverse and rich cultural heritage of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zeno
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeno, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Hispanic (17.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zeno 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 Zeno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.6% · 1,447
- White29.5% · 879
- Hispanic or Latino17.8% · 530
- Two or more races3.2% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zeno
Zeno 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
#10,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
+174 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 250 places
2020
#10,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,975
-80 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,255 | 2,881 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,505 | 3,055 | 1.04 | +174 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 250 places |
| 2020 | #10,300 | 2,975 | 1.00 | -80 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 205 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 Zeno 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 | #10,505 | #10,300 | 2.0% |
| Count | 3,055 | 2,975 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.00 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zeno bearers went from 3,055 to 2,975 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,505 to #10,300.
FAQ
Zeno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zeno?
Name Census estimates that about 3,412 living Americans carry the surname Zeno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,456 residents.
How common is Zeno?
Zeno ranks #10,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,975 people with the surname Zeno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,412), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Zeno.
Has Zeno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zeno went from 3,055 recorded bearers to 2,975. That is a decrease of 80 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,505 to #10,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Zeno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeno, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Hispanic (17.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zeno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.6% (1,447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zeno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.6%), White (29.5%), Hispanic (17.8%). 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 Zeno (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 Zeno mean?
Derived from the Greek name Zeno, meaning "gift of Zeus." 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 Zeno (1.00 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 share the surname Zeno?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.