2000
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Zielke
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "green" or "verdant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,262 Americans carry the last name Zielke. That puts it at #14,528 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zielke 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
2.3K
1 in 151,527
Census rank
#14,528
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,973 bearers of the surname Zielke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14528th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zielke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zielke
The surname ZIELKE is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the region of Brandenburg, Prussia (now part of modern-day Germany) during the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "ziele," meaning "goal" or "target," and may have originally referred to an occupation or a descriptive nickname for someone who was skilled at archery or hunting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ZIELKE name can be found in the records of the town of Neuruppin, Brandenburg, where a certain Hans Zielke was mentioned in a document dated 1587. Another early reference is from the neighboring town of Wittstock, where a Wilhelm Zielke was listed in a census record from 1612.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing ZIELKE families in the regions of Saxony and Mecklenburg. During this time, variations in spelling were common, with the name sometimes appearing as Zielcke, Zielke, or Zielken.
One notable bearer of the ZIELKE name was Johann Georg Zielke (1679-1747), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another was Carl Friedrich Zielke (1760-1825), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Iron Cross for his service.
In the 19th century, the ZIELKE surname began to appear in records outside of Germany, as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and to the Americas. One such individual was Heinrich Zielke (1818-1892), a German immigrant who settled in Wisconsin, United States, and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Another notable bearer of the ZIELKE name was Gustav Zielke (1857-1924), a German architect and urban planner who was influential in the development of modern city planning principles. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
As the centuries passed, the ZIELKE name continued to spread across Germany and beyond, with bearers of the surname making contributions in various fields, including academia, the military, and the arts. While the name may have evolved from humble beginnings, it has become a part of the rich tapestry of German and European cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zielke
Among Census respondents with the surname Zielke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zielke 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 Zielke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,813
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 73
- Two or more races2.7% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zielke
Zielke 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
#14,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,048
-31 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,120 places
2020
#14,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,973
-75 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,429 | 2,079 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,549 | 2,048 | 0.69 | -31 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,120 places |
| 2020 | #14,528 | 1,973 | 0.66 | -75 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 21 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 Zielke 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 | #14,549 | #14,528 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,048 | 1,973 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.66 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zielke bearers went from 2,048 to 1,973 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,549 to #14,528.
FAQ
Zielke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zielke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,262 living Americans carry the surname Zielke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,527 residents.
How common is Zielke?
Zielke ranks #14,528 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,973 people with the surname Zielke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Zielke.
Has Zielke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zielke went from 2,048 recorded bearers to 1,973. That is a decrease of 75 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,549 to #14,528.
What does the Census say about the background of Zielke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zielke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Zielke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zielke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (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 Zielke (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 Zielke mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "green" or "verdant." 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 Zielke (0.66 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 share the surname Zielke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.