2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zillich
A habitational name for someone from a place named with a Germanic word related to "zoll" meaning "a clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Zillich. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zillich 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Zillich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zillich, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zillich
The surname Zillich has its origins in Central Europe, specifically within the regions that are now modern-day Germany and Austria. The name is believed to date back to the medieval period, likely around the 12th or 13th centuries. The areas of origin include the German-speaking regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and parts of Austria. It is often associated with the settlement patterns of these regions during the Middle Ages.
The surname Zillich is derived from an old Germanic word "Zil" or "Ziel," which means "goal" or "target." The suffix "lich" is frequently used in German surnames to denote a characteristic or association, implying that the name could have described someone who was goal-oriented or involved in archery or hunting. Similar spellings of the name in historical records include Zilch, Zillech, and Züllich.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zillich appears in 1314 in a document from the city of Augsburg, which was a significant center of commerce and trade in medieval Germany. Another early mention is in a church register from the town of Straubing in Bavaria, dating to 1386, referring to a "Heinrich Zillich," a local merchant.
A notable historical figure with the surname Zillich is Georg Zillich, born in 1498 in Nuremberg and died in 1564. He was a renowned master craftsman and guild leader, known for his work in metalcraft and his contributions to the town council. Another eminent person is Johann Zillich, a 17th-century theologian and writer from Leipzig, who was influential in the Protestant Reformation movement.
Johann Jacob Zillich, born in 1710 in Berlin and died in 1776, was a prominent composer and musician in the court of Frederick the Great. His contributions to the baroque music scene were widely recognized, and several of his compositions are preserved in the state archives.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Zillich, born in 1834 and died in 1901, emerged as a significant figure in the field of natural sciences. A professor at the University of Göttingen, he published extensively on botanical subjects and was a member of several scientific academies.
Another notable individual is Georg Friedrich Zillich, born in 1860 and died in 1916, an entrepreneur and philanthropist from Mannheim. He founded several educational institutions and contributed significantly to the industrial development of the Rhine-Neckar region.
The surname Zillich has seen various spellings and adaptations over centuries, reflecting the linguistic and cultural changes in the German-speaking world. However, its roots remain traceable to its medieval origins and the characteristic traits it was meant to signify.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zillich
Among Census respondents with the surname Zillich, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Zillich 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 Zillich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 102
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zillich
Zillich 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,009 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 20,009 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 6,941 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 Zillich 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 | #150,452 | #143,511 | 4.6% |
| Count | 109 | 118 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zillich bearers went from 109 to 118 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 6,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #143,511.
FAQ
Zillich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zillich?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Zillich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Zillich?
Zillich ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Zillich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Zillich.
Has Zillich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zillich went from 109 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Zillich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zillich, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Zillich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zillich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Zillich (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 Zillich mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place named with a Germanic word related to "zoll" meaning "a clearing." 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 Zillich (0.04 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 common is the surname Zillich?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Zillich at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.