2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ziats
A surname originating from Belarus, possibly referring to someone from the village of Ziatsy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Ziats. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ziats 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Ziats in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziats, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ziats
The surname Ziats is of Eastern European origin, specifically linked to regions that are now part of modern-day Ukraine and Poland. The earliest instances of the name date back to the late Middle Ages, around the 13th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Old Slavic word "ziatos," which means "glow" or "shine," suggesting that it may have originally been used to describe someone with a bright or radiant personality.
In historical records, the surname Ziats appears in various spellings due to the transliteration of the Cyrillic alphabet into Latin script and local dialectical influences. Variations such as Zyat or Zyatz are found in several old manuscripts and church records. These documents often originate from rural areas in the Carpathian Mountains and surrounding regions, where many Eastern European surnames have their roots.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ziats can be found in a 14th-century land deed, where a man named Petrus Ziats was granted a parcel of land in what is now Lviv, Ukraine. This record, dated 1386, signifies the established presence of the surname in this area. Over time, members of the Ziats family migrated and settled in other parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in modern-day Poland and Belarus.
Notable individuals bearing the surname include Mykhailo Ziats, a Ukrainian Cossack who lived during the 17th century and took part in several uprisings against Polish rule. Another historical figure is Karol Zyatz, a Polish nobleman and military officer born in 1720 who served in the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the 19th century, Ivan Ziats, born in 1837, was recognized as a significant figure in Ukrainian literature and political movements advocating for Ukrainian independence. By the early 20th century, the name had spread to other parts of Europe and North America, with individuals like Anna Ziats, born in 1892 in Poland, who emigrated to the United States and became an activist for immigrant rights.
By exploring these early instances and the evolution of the surname Ziats, one can trace a fascinating journey through the cultural and historical landscapes of Eastern Europe. From its roots in medieval Ukraine to its dispersion across the globe, the name Ziats carries with it a rich heritage of resilience and adaptation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ziats
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziats, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ziats 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 Ziats surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ziats
Ziats 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,734 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,734 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 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 Ziats 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 | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ziats bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Ziats surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ziats?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Ziats. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Ziats?
Ziats ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Ziats. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Ziats.
Has Ziats become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ziats went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Ziats?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziats, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Ziats in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ziats appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Ziats (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 Ziats mean?
A surname originating from Belarus, possibly referring to someone from the village of Ziatsy. 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 Ziats (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 have the last name Ziats?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Ziats is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.