2000
#77,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Zilber
A surname derived from the German word for silver, potentially indicating ancestral ties to metalworking.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 281 Americans carry the last name Zilber. That puts it at #82,881 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,219,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zilber 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
281
1 in 1,219,766
Census rank
#82,881
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
245
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 245 bearers of the surname Zilber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82881st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zilber, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.6%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zilber
Among Census respondents with the surname Zilber, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.6%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zilber 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 Zilber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 237
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zilber
Zilber 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
#80,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
+7 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 2,677 places
2020
#82,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 245
+9 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 2,462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,742 | 229 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,419 | 236 | 0.08 | +7 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 2,677 places |
| 2020 | #82,881 | 245 | 0.08 | +9 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 2,462 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 Zilber 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 | #80,419 | #82,881 | -3.1% |
| Count | 236 | 245 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zilber bearers went from 236 to 245 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 2,462 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,419 to #82,881.
FAQ
Zilber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zilber?
Name Census estimates that about 281 living Americans carry the surname Zilber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,219,766 residents.
How common is Zilber?
Zilber ranks #82,881 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 245 people with the surname Zilber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Zilber.
Has Zilber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zilber went from 236 recorded bearers to 245. That is an increase of 9 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,419 to #82,881.
What does the Census say about the background of Zilber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zilber, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.6%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Zilber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (237 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zilber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Two or More Races (1.6%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Zilber (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 Zilber mean?
A surname derived from the German word for silver, potentially indicating ancestral ties to metalworking. 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 Zilber (0.08 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 have the surname Zilber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.