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

Zinnel, 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 Zinnel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zinnel in America

Zinnel is the 67126th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zinnel surname appeared 294 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 Zinnel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zinnel 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 Zinnel

The surname Zinnel is believed to have originated from Germany, dating back to the medieval period. Specifically, it is associated with the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, areas known for their dense forests and agricultural traditions. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "zinne," which means "pinnacle" or "battlement." This suggests that the name Zinnel could have originally been a topographic surname, given to individuals who lived near a pointed hill or a fortified structure with battlements.

Old records and manuscripts indicate the presence of the surname Zinnel as early as the 14th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the town records of Nuremberg in 1374, where a Hans Zinnel is listed as a local merchant. Another significant historical mention of the surname appears in the church records of Leipzig from 1412, documenting a Heinrich Zinnel as a notable landowner.

The surname Zinnel also appears in various forms throughout history, demonstrating slight regional dialectical variations. For example, in the Silesian region, the name appears as Zinellus in 1483, referring to a Johann Zinellus, a town council member in Breslau (today’s Wrocław, Poland). In 1527, an archival document from Regensburg records the name Zinnl, pertaining to a Martin Zinnl, a master stonemason involved in the construction of the town's cathedral.

One prominent historical figure with the surname Zinnel is Georg Zinnel, who was born in 1585 and died in 1652. He was a respected theologian and academic professor at the University of Jena. Records from 1749 mention Anna Maria Zinnel, born in 1698, who was one of the few women to be recognized for her contributions to early modern German literature. Another notable individual is Karl Friedrich Zinnel, born in 1811, and an innovative agricultural scientist who made significant advancements in crop rotation techniques.

Each appearance of the surname Zinnel in historical records underscores its deep roots within German-speaking regions, its association with notable individuals, and its linguistic ties to the geographical and architectural features of the landscapes its early bearers inhabited. This contributed to the establishment of the Zinnel name as one woven into the historical and cultural tapestry of Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zinnel

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

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

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

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