2000
#36,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 573
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Zenor
A Germanic surname derived from the personal name Zenobius of Latin origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 589 Americans carry the last name Zenor. That puts it at #44,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 581,926 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zenor 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
589
1 in 581,926
Census rank
#44,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
514
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 514 bearers of the surname Zenor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zenor
The surname Zenor is believed to have its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely dating back to the medieval period. The name is thought to be a variant of the surname Zehnder, a Swiss name derived from the Middle High German word "Zeiner," which means a tenant or farmer. This connection suggests that the original bearers of the surname were likely associated with agricultural pursuits or tenant farming.
In historical records, the surname Zenor is relatively rare but has appeared in various forms and spellings, such as Zehner and Zeiner, which complicates tracing its precise origins. One of the earliest mentions of the name can be found in the Swiss chronicles, where similar surnames were often recorded in the rural communities of Switzerland during the 14th and 15th centuries.
One early recorded example of a similar surname is a Hans Zehnder, mentioned in Swiss land records from the late 1400s. It is likely that the Zenor surname branched off from these root names as families migrated and settled in different regions, adapting the spelling and pronunciation over time.
By the 17th century, individuals with surnames similar to Zenor began appearing in the records of Germanic-speaking areas outside Switzerland, including parts of Austria and Germany. A notable figure from this era is Peter Zehner, born in 1625 in Bavaria, who was documented as a landowner and farmer. His family’s movement and establishment in new territories could have played a role in the diversification of the surname to include Zenor.
In the 18th century, as European colonization expanded, the surname Zenor made its way to the American colonies. Records from this period include Johann Georg Zehner, who emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1741. He is an important figure as members of his family might have later adapted their surname to Zenor.
Throughout the 19th century, the name Zenor appears more frequently in North American records. An influential individual from this period is William Zenor, born in 1856 in Indiana, USA. He served as a U.S. Congressman from 1897 to 1905, indicating that the family had established themselves firmly in American society.
Another noteworthy individual is John Zenor, an early 20th-century figure born in 1904 in Kentucky, who became known in legal circles as a prominent lawyer and judge. His contributions to the legal field highlight the continued prominence of the Zenor surname in the United States.
The surname Zenor, while not widespread, has a rich history that reflects the movement of peoples and the evolution of language over centuries. From its likely origins in Swiss tenant farming communities to its establishment in the American political and legal systems, Zenor exemplifies the journey many surnames undergo through history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zenor
Among Census respondents with the surname Zenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zenor 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 Zenor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 458
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 20
- Two or more races3.9% · 20
- Black or African American1.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zenor
Zenor 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
#41,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 531
-42 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 4,277 places
2020
#44,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 514
-17 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,868 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,761 | 573 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,038 | 531 | 0.18 | -42 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 4,277 places |
| 2020 | #44,906 | 514 | 0.17 | -17 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 3,868 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 Zenor 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 | #41,038 | #44,906 | -9.4% |
| Count | 531 | 514 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zenor bearers went from 531 to 514 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 3,868 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,038 to #44,906.
FAQ
Zenor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zenor?
Name Census estimates that about 589 living Americans carry the surname Zenor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 581,926 residents.
How common is Zenor?
Zenor ranks #44,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 514 people with the surname Zenor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (589), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Zenor.
Has Zenor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zenor went from 531 recorded bearers to 514. That is a decrease of 17 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,038 to #44,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Zenor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Zenor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zenor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Zenor (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 Zenor mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the personal name Zenobius of Latin origin. 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 Zenor (0.17 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 Zenor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.