Find out how popular the last name Zia is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Zia.

Zia, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Zia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zia in America

Zia is the 18486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zia surname appeared 1,495 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Zia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zia to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Zia

The surname Zia has its origins rooted deeply in the Middle East, specifically within Persian and Arabic-speaking cultures. This name appears to have originated during the Islamic Golden Age around the 8th to the 14th centuries when there was widespread cultural and linguistic exchange across the regions. The name Zia is derived from the Arabic word "Ḍiyā’" which translates to "light" or "splendor." This word was often used metaphorically to signify enlightenment and knowledge, attributes highly valued in Islamic culture during that period.

One of the earliest historical references to the surname can be found in Persian literature and official records from the time of the Abbasid Caliphate. Manuscripts dating back to the 9th century have references to scholars and chroniclers with the surname Zia, indicating the name’s historical significance in the intellectual and scholarly community. The Abbasid era, known for its advancements in science, philosophy, and literature, would have provided the perfect backdrop for such a surname to gain prominence.

Among the notable early bearers of the surname was Abu al-Fazal Zia al-Din, a Persian scholar born in the late 10th century. Renowned for his contributions to medical science, Zia al-Din's works were widely circulated and respected across the Islamic world. Another distinguished individual was Al-Hassan Zia, a prominent mathematician from the 12th century, whose treatises on algebra became reference points for generations of scholars.

The name also appears in various geographical locations, notably in the historical region of Khwarazm, which is now part of modern-day Iran and Uzbekistan. Here, the name Zia likely appeared in land records or local administrative documentation. By the 14th century, the surname Zia was seen in the records of the Timurid Empire, a testament to its spread and integration across different dynasties and cultures in the Middle Eastern region.

Zia-ud-Din Muhammad Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in the early 16th century, also had Zia in his full name. While Babur is more widely recognized, the use of Zia within his name signifies the weight and reverence it carried at that time. Two further notable figures include Zia-ur-Rahman, an influential political figure born in 1936 who played a key role in the history of Bangladesh, and Pakistani writer and intellectual Zia Mohyeddin, born in 1931, whose contributions to literature and theater are highly esteemed.

Throughout history, the surname Zia has been carried by individuals who significantly impacted scholarly fields, politics, and culture. The shared attributes of enlightenment and knowledge associated with the name have remained consistent markers of its bearers’ contributions to their respective fields and societies. This rich historical backdrop ensures the continued reverence of the surname Zia in Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zia

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Zia.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Zia was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Zia has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Zia was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Zia, please contact us.

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