Zigler last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Zigler

A German occupational surname referring to a brick maker, tile maker, or roof tiler.

Zigler, 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 Zigler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zigler in America

Zigler is the 14713th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zigler surname appeared 2,019 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 Zigler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zigler 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 14713 13367 9.59%
Count 2,019 2,090 -3.46%
Proportion per 100k 0.68 0.77 -12.41%

The history of the last name Zigler

The surname Zigler is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages in the 14th century. It was initially derived from the Middle High German word "zigler," which referred to a brickmaker or a tile maker. This occupational surname was given to individuals who were involved in the trade of making bricks, tiles, or pottery.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Zigler can be found in historical documents from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493, which lists a Hans Zigler among the citizens of the city.

During the 16th century, the surname Zigler began to spread across various parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a record from 1564 mentions a Konrad Zigler, a respected brickmaker and citizen.

As people migrated and settled in different areas, the spelling of the surname underwent slight variations, such as Ziegler, Zigler, and Ziegeler. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Zigler was Hans Zigler (1495-1570), a German painter and wood carver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate works in churches and public buildings.

In the 17th century, a notable figure was Johann Zigler (1615-1688), a German theologian and author from Saxony, who wrote several influential treatises on theology and philosophy.

The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Friedrich Zigler (1737-1802), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to celestial mechanics and the study of comets.

In the 19th century, the surname Zigler gained prominence with the birth of Johann Zigler (1811-1890), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Zigler Brewing Company in Philadelphia, one of the largest breweries in the United States at the time.

Another notable individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Zigler (1828-1899), a German architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings and city plans across Germany, including the Reichstag building in Berlin.

As the centuries progressed, the Zigler surname continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. While its roots can be traced back to the occupation of brickmaking in medieval Germany, the name has since become a part of the rich tapestry of surnames found in various cultures and societies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zigler

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

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 Zigler was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 80.63% 1,628
Non-Hispanic Black Only 13.82% 279
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.50% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.64% 13
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.63% 53
Hispanic Origin 1.78% 36

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 Zigler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 80.63% 81.63% -1.23%
Black 13.82% 13.88% -0.43%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.50% 0.33% 40.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.64% 0.77% -18.44%
Two or More Races 2.63% 1.72% 41.84%
Hispanic 1.78% 1.67% 6.38%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Zigler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/zigler-surname-popularity/.

"Zigler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/zigler-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Zigler last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/zigler-surname-popularity/.

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