2000
#1,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.32
Uncommon Last name
Ziegler
A German occupational surname referring to a brickmaker, tilemaker, or roof tiler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,650 Americans carry the last name Ziegler. That puts it at #1,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,396 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ziegler 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ziegler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,396
Census rank
#1,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,112 bearers of the surname Ziegler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ziegler
The surname Ziegler originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "ziegeler," which means "tiler" or "bricklayer," referring to a profession involving the laying of tiles or bricks. The name was initially used to identify individuals who worked in this trade.
Early records of the name Ziegler can be found in various medieval documents, such as town registers and guild records. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain Hermannus Ziegeler is recorded as a witness in a land transaction in the year 1256.
The Ziegler name has also been documented in other historical sources, including the Bürgermatrikel (citizen registers) of various German cities, such as Nuremberg and Augsburg, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. These records often provide valuable insights into the lives and occupations of individuals bearing the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ziegler was Johannes Ziegler (c. 1470-1516), a German historian and humanist scholar born in Landau. He is known for his work "De Viris Illustribus" (On Illustrious Men), which documented the lives of famous individuals from antiquity.
Another notable figure was Georg Ziegler (1563-1635), a German Protestant theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and contributed significantly to the development of Lutheran theology.
In the realm of art, Hans Ziegler (1533-1600) was a renowned German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, which often depicted religious and allegorical subjects, were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.
Moving into the 19th century, Johann Ziegler (1795-1858) was a German philologist and academic who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature. He served as a professor at the University of Erlangen and published numerous works on classical texts.
Lastly, Oskar Ziegler (1892-1963) was a German opera singer and composer who gained international fame during the early 20th century. He performed leading roles in operas by Wagner, Strauss, and other renowned composers, and his compositions were highly regarded in the world of classical music.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the surname Ziegler throughout history, showcasing the name's rich heritage and its association with various professions and accomplishments across different eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ziegler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ziegler 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 Ziegler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 21,642
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 764
- Two or more races2.9% · 697
- Black or African American2.8% · 676
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 137
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ziegler
Ziegler 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
#1,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,351
+213 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 8.59
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#1,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,112
-1,239 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 8.07
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,289 | 25,138 | 9.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,400 | 25,351 | 8.59 | +213 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #1,437 | 24,112 | 8.07 | -1,239 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 37 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 Ziegler 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 | #1,400 | #1,437 | -2.6% |
| Count | 25,351 | 24,112 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.59 | 8.07 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ziegler bearers went from 25,351 to 24,112 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,400 to #1,437.
FAQ
Ziegler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ziegler?
Name Census estimates that about 27,650 living Americans carry the surname Ziegler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,396 residents.
How common is Ziegler?
Ziegler ranks #1,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,112 people with the surname Ziegler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Ziegler.
Has Ziegler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ziegler went from 25,351 recorded bearers to 24,112. That is a decrease of 1,239 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,400 to #1,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Ziegler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ziegler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (21,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ziegler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ziegler (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 Ziegler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a brickmaker, tilemaker, or roof tiler. 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 Ziegler (8.07 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 Ziegler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.