2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zetty
A surname of uncertain etymology, potentially derived from a place name or an archaic personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Zetty. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zetty 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Zetty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zetty, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zetty
The surname Zetty can be traced to its origins in Central Europe, specifically within the regions that encompass modern-day Germany and Austria. The name is thought to have originated around the 12th or 13th century, a time when surnames began to be formalized. The exact etymology of Zetty is somewhat obscure but may derive from variations of the root word "Zet," which in old Germanic languages is related to watching or guarding.
Certain areas in the regions mentioned had prominent occurrences of the surname. In medieval German, there are linguistic links to similar-sounding words or surnames, like Zett or Zettel, which were documented indicating a possible occupational or locational origin. The occupation could have referred to a watchman or a similar role within a community.
Historical references to the Zetty surname are scant, but one notable record is found in a 14th-century Bavarian census where a Hans Zetty is mentioned. This record, dated to around 1370, marks one of the earliest known instances of the surname being documented in an official capacity.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is Wilhelm Zetty, born in 1453 and documented as a merchant in the region of Thuringia. His presence in trade records and tax documents highlights the emergence of the name in more official documents of the time. By the late 15th century, the name had evolved into slightly varying spellings such as Zetti.
Another historical figure of note is Katrina Zetty, born in 1582 in Salzburg, Austria. As one of the few women documented with this last name in church records, her presence helps to establish the geographic roots of the surname in Austria during the late Renaissance period.
Johann Zetty, born in 1620, is another significant individual. A farmer from Bavaria, his life spanned the Thirty Years War, and he appears in various land and agricultural records from the mid-17th century. His inclusion in these records suggests the Zetty family were landowners or at least stable residents of their community.
During the 18th century, another notable person bearing this surname was Friedrich Zetty, born in 1715. He served as an official in the Austrian military, underscoring the diversification of the professions held by individuals with this surname.
Finally, Anna Maria Zetty, born in 1779, appears in municipal records of Vienna as a midwife. Her contributions to local health and her subsequent mentions in medical and familial records of the time provide insight into the evolving roles and recognition of the Zetty surname in urban settings.
The Zetty surname, while not extraordinarily common, has thus traversed through various regions of Central Europe over the centuries. It has ties to both occupational and locational origins and has seen the evolution of its bearers' roles from medieval times to the end of the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zetty
Among Census respondents with the surname Zetty, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zetty 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 Zetty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 105
- Two or more races10.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zetty
Zetty 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,961 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 5,961 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,982 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 Zetty 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 | #137,327 | #141,309 | -2.9% |
| Count | 122 | 121 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zetty bearers went from 122 to 121 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #141,309.
FAQ
Zetty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zetty?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Zetty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Zetty?
Zetty ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Zetty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Zetty.
Has Zetty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zetty went from 122 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Zetty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zetty, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Zetty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zetty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (10.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Zetty (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 Zetty mean?
A surname of uncertain etymology, potentially derived from a place name or an archaic personal name. 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 Zetty (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 Americans have the surname Zetty?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.