2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zenone
An Italian surname derived from the ancient Greek name Zenon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Zenone. 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 Zenone 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 Zenone 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 Zenone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zenone
The surname Zenone has its origins in Italy, specifically from the regions of Lombardy and Veneto during the medieval period. The name likely derives from the Greek name Zenon, which is rooted in the personal name Zeno. Zeno itself is derived from the ancient Greek word "zen," connected to the god Zeus, suggesting that the bearer of the name was someone dedicated to or protected by Zeus.
Old records indicate that variants of Zenone, such as Zenon or Zenoni, were not uncommon in ancient manuscripts and church records dating back to the 9th century. These records show evidence of its use in places like Milan and Verona, where prominent families bore the name. For example, records from the 12th century note a Pietro Zenoni who was a landowner in the areas surrounding Venice.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the surname Zenone is Giovanni Zenone, born around 1320 and mentioned in several legal documents from the 1350s. These documents reveal his involvement in trade and commerce, highlighting the name's association with the regional merchant class. Another notable figure, Antonio Zenone, born in Venice in 1463, was a prominent magistrate whose decisions are recorded in the Venetian Senate archives.
In the 17th century, the name appears in ecclesiastical documents with Giuseppe Zenone, a Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church, who played a significant role in the counter-reformation efforts in Northern Italy. He was born in 1642 and served as a bishop until his death in 1704, leaving behind numerous writings and correspondences that shed light on the religious conflicts of his time.
In the 18th century, the surname Zenone was carried by Maria Luisa Zenone, a renowned sculptor born in Florence in 1710. Her art was influential during her time, and several pieces of her sculpture remain in Italian museums. She passed away in 1778, leaving behind a rich legacy in the arts.
By the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with figures like Enrico Zenone, born in 1825, a literature professor and poet based in Rome known for his contributions to Italian Romantic literature. His works remain studied in Italian literary circles, and his influence persisted through his death in 1893.
Through these historical figures and records, the surname Zenone illustrates a rich legacy tied to various significant cultural, religious, and social developments in Italy, particularly within the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Its connections to trade, governance, religious leadership, the arts, and literature highlight the surname's diverse and influential heritage across centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zenone
Among Census respondents with the surname Zenone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zenone 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 Zenone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 101
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zenone
Zenone 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,810 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 10,810 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,505 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 Zenone 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 | #136,449 | #147,954 | -8.4% |
| Count | 123 | 112 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zenone bearers went from 123 to 112 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #147,954.
FAQ
Zenone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zenone?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Zenone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Zenone?
Zenone 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 Zenone. 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 Zenone.
Has Zenone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zenone went from 123 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Zenone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zenone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Zenone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zenone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Zenone (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 Zenone mean?
An Italian surname derived from the ancient Greek name Zenon. 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 Zenone (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 Zenone?
See how many people have the surname Zenone on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.