2000
#11,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Zerbe
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bitter" or "sour," likely referring to infertile soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,604 Americans carry the last name Zerbe. That puts it at #12,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zerbe 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
2.6K
1 in 131,626
Census rank
#12,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,271 bearers of the surname Zerbe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zerbe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zerbe
The surname Zerbe has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "Zerbe," which means "small portion" or "share." It is believed that the name was originally given to individuals who were responsible for distributing or allocating resources, such as land or food, within a community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Zerbe surname can be found in the town of Wittenberg, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1569, a document mentions a certain Hans Zerbe, who was a landowner and a respected member of the local community.
In the 17th century, the Zerbe name began to spread across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Hesse, and Rhineland-Palatinate. During this period, several notable individuals bearing the Zerbe surname emerged. For instance, Johann Zerbe (1589-1644) was a prominent theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious matters.
As the Zerbe family grew and expanded, some members began to migrate to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Zerbe name in the United States can be found in the records of Pennsylvania, where a family of Zerbes settled in the late 18th century.
Throughout history, several individuals with the Zerbe surname have achieved notable accomplishments. Heinrich Zerbe (1832-1908) was a German-American landscape painter known for his depictions of the American West. Another notable figure was Karl Zerbe (1903-1972), a German-American artist and illustrator who contributed illustrations to various publications, including The Saturday Evening Post.
Other prominent individuals with the Zerbe surname include Alfred Zerbe (1888-1949), a German actor and film director; Otto Zerbe (1892-1965), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party; and Erwin Zerbe (1906-1988), a German chess player and journalist who was recognized as a International Master by the World Chess Federation.
While the Zerbe surname may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, politicians, religious figures, and landowners. The name's origins can be traced back to the 16th century in Germany, where it was associated with the distribution and allocation of resources within communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zerbe
Among Census respondents with the surname Zerbe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zerbe 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 Zerbe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,070
- Two or more races4.3% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 61
- Black or African American0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zerbe
Zerbe 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
#12,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,388
-68 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,183 places
2020
#12,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
-117 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,701 | 2,456 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,884 | 2,388 | 0.81 | -68 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,183 places |
| 2020 | #12,934 | 2,271 | 0.76 | -117 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 50 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 Zerbe 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 | #12,884 | #12,934 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,388 | 2,271 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.76 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zerbe bearers went from 2,388 to 2,271 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,884 to #12,934.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zerbe
FAQ
Zerbe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zerbe?
Name Census estimates that about 2,604 living Americans carry the surname Zerbe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,626 residents.
How common is Zerbe?
Zerbe ranks #12,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,271 people with the surname Zerbe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,604), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Zerbe.
Has Zerbe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zerbe went from 2,388 recorded bearers to 2,271. That is a decrease of 117 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,884 to #12,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Zerbe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zerbe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Zerbe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,070 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zerbe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Zerbe (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 Zerbe mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bitter" or "sour," likely referring to infertile soil. 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 Zerbe (0.76 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 have the surname Zerbe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.