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

Zilber, 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 Zilber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zilber in America

Zilber is the 80419th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zilber surname appeared 236 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 Zilber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zilber 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 Zilber

The surname Zilber has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly within the Jewish communities of areas that are now Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. The name is derived from the Yiddish word "zilber," which means "silver" in German. This etymology reflects the historical use of the Yiddish language among Ashkenazi Jews, who often adopted surnames based on professions, characteristics, or valuable items.

Originally, the surname Zilber could have been assigned to individuals who worked as silversmiths or were involved in the trade of silver. This aligns with the Jewish custom of adopting surnames related to occupations or attributes, especially during the periods when surnames became compulsory under various European rulers in the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zilber appears in 19th-century records from Eastern Europe. Specifically, archives from Lithuania and Poland during the time of the Russian Empire include mentions of individuals with this surname. It was during this period that many Jews adopted permanent family names as a result of legal requirements imposed by authorities.

An example of historical records featuring the surname Zilber includes the birth, marriage, and death registers maintained by Jewish communities throughout the Russian Empire. Among these records, one notable individual is Rabbi Aryeh Leib Zilber, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as a well-respected rabbi in the Lithuanian town of Ponevezh, now Panevėžys in Lithuania.

The surname has appeared in other significant documents throughout history. For instance, during the wave of Jewish immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Zilber arrived at Ellis Island and were documented by immigration officials. These records show the spread and establishment of the surname in new regions.

Several prominent figures bear the surname Zilber. Among them is Natalia Zilber, a Russian poet and writer born in 1884 who contributed to Russian literature before her death in 1942. Another notable individual is Moshe Zilber, an Israeli military officer born in 1912, remembered for his service in the Israeli Defense Forces until his death in 1982.

In modern scholarship, the surname Zilber is often studied when examining the culture and history of Ashkenazi Jews. Researchers often refer to archival materials such as civil registration documents, census records, and historical texts to trace the lineage and migration patterns of families with this surname.

Other distinguished individuals include the philosopher David Zilber, born in 1899, who made significant contributions to Jewish thought and academic discourse. Another notable figure is Sarah Zilber, a Holocaust survivor born in 1926, who became an advocate for memory and education about the atrocities of World War II.

The surname Zilber reflects a rich historical tapestry, linked to the culture, occupation, and migration of Jewish families from Eastern Europe. Through various records, the legacy of the Zilber name provides insight into the lives and contributions of those who bore it across different centuries and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zilber

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

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

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

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