2000
#3,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Zink
A German occupational surname referring to a person who worked with tin or operated a tin mine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,630 Americans carry the last name Zink. That puts it at #4,099 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,592 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zink 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
9.6K
1 in 35,592
Census rank
#4,099
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,398 bearers of the surname Zink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4099th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zink
The surname Zink originated in Germany, likely in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. It is derived from the German word "zink," which means "zinc," a metallic chemical element. The name may have been initially given to individuals who worked as zinc miners, smelters, or metalworkers.
The earliest known record of the Zink surname dates back to the 15th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. One notable example is Hans Zink, a blacksmith who lived in Nuremberg around 1450. Nuremberg was a major center for metalworking and mining during this time, which may explain the connection to the name's origin.
In the 16th century, the Zink surname appeared in various historical records and documents across Germany. For instance, a record from 1524 mentions a Caspar Zink, a merchant from Augsburg, a city known for its prosperous trade and metalworking industry.
The Zink surname also has connections to place names in Germany. One example is the town of Zinken, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which may have influenced the spelling and origin of the name in that region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Zink surname. One prominent figure was Johann Zink (1587-1667), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another was Karl Zink (1819-1887), a German architect and builder who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
Other notable individuals with the Zink surname include:
1. Paul Zink (1920-2011), a German-American painter and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works.
2. Walter Zink (1903-1995), a German actor and film director active in the 1930s and 1940s.
3. Hieronymus Zink (1619-1692), a German composer and organist during the Baroque period.
4. Theodor Zink (1842-1935), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
5. Friedrich Zink (1827-1900), a German architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Munich.
The Zink surname eventually spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe and later to the Americas, carried by immigrants and families seeking new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zink
Among Census respondents with the surname Zink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zink 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 Zink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 7,799
- Two or more races3.2% · 271
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 210
- Black or African American0.7% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zink
Zink 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
#3,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,134
+609 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#4,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,398
-736 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,824 | 8,525 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,882 | 9,134 | 3.10 | +609 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #4,099 | 8,398 | 2.81 | -736 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 217 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 Zink 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 | #3,882 | #4,099 | -5.6% |
| Count | 9,134 | 8,398 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.10 | 2.81 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zink bearers went from 9,134 to 8,398 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,882 to #4,099.
FAQ
Zink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zink?
Name Census estimates that about 9,630 living Americans carry the surname Zink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,592 residents.
How common is Zink?
Zink ranks #4,099 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,398 people with the surname Zink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,630), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Zink.
Has Zink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zink went from 9,134 recorded bearers to 8,398. That is a decrease of 736 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,882 to #4,099.
What does the Census say about the background of Zink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Zink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (7,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Zink (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 Zink mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who worked with tin or operated a tin mine. 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 Zink (2.81 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 Americans have the surname Zink?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.