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

Zientek, 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 Zientek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zientek in America

Zientek is the 27376th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zientek surname appeared 882 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Zientek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zientek 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 Zientek

The surname Zientek has its origins in Poland, a country with a rich tapestry of historical and linguistic influences. The name is believed to have first appeared in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland, areas known for their dynamic cultural exchanges during the medieval period. Zientek is derived from the Polish word "ziętek," which originally meant "son-in-law." This linguistic root can be traced back to Old Polish, where familial relationships were often used as identifiers in surnames. The use of such relational terms was common in the rural communities of Poland, reflecting the importance of family bonds and social structures.

Historical references to the surname Zientek are sparse but notable. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 15th-century document from Kraków, a major cultural and economic center in Poland. This manuscript, preserved in the archives of the Jagiellonian University, mentions a certain Jan Zientek who was involved in local civic affairs around 1487. Another early record from the 16th century, stored in the Wawel Royal Castle archives, references a Michal Zientek, a merchant who traded goods between Kraków and Gdańsk.

Throughout the centuries, the name Zientek has seen several variations in spelling, such as Zyentek and Ziętek, the latter reflecting more closely the original Polish phonetics. These alterations often depended on regional dialects and the scribes' interpretations at the time of recording. The 17th century saw a Marcin Zientek, born in 1623, who became notable for his service in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's military. Records indicate that Marcin participated in the Battle of Khotyn in 1673, a significant conflict against the Ottoman Empire.

Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname continued to appear in various civic and military records. For instance, a Piotr Zientek, born in 1786, is documented as having been a landowner and local official in the Silesian town of Gliwice. His contributions to local governance were recognized in several historical accounts from that period. In the 19th century, a notable individual by the name of Katarzyna Zientek (born 1840) emerged as a prominent figure in the early Polish women's movement. She was an advocate for women's education and published several essays that are preserved in the Warsaw National Library.

In more modern historical contexts, we find Janusz Zientek (born 1896 - died 1945), a resistance fighter during World War II. He was part of the Polish underground movement against Nazi occupation and was posthumously awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration for courage. Each of these individuals highlights the enduring presence and varied contributions of people bearing the Zientek surname through history, reflecting the name's deep roots in Polish heritage and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zientek

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

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 Zientek 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 Zientek 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 Zientek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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