2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zinsky
A Jewish surname derived from a Polish place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Zinsky. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zinsky 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Zinsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zinsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zinsky
The surname Zinsky is most likely of Eastern European origin, specifically from the areas that once comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. The name appears to date back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th centuries, a period of significant social and political upheaval in these regions.
Zinsky is a surname that follows a common Eastern European pattern of surname formation, which often incorporates the Slavic suffix "-ski" or "-sky", meaning "of" or "belonging to". This suffix typically indicates a geographical origin, linking the individual to a particular place or family estate. In this case, Zinsky may be derived from various place names or smaller localities ending in -zin or -zyn, suggesting that the original bearers of the name were residents or landholders of such a place.
Historical references to the surname Zinsky are relatively sparse, likely owing to the name's regional specificity and the historical upheavals that affected record-keeping in Eastern Europe. However, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the mid-16th century in a document from the Duchy of Lithuania. A land record dated 1567 mentions a Jan Zinsky as a minor noble or petty landowner.
Through the subsequent centuries, the name Zinsky can be found in various legal and ecclesiastical documents. In the early 18th century, a Piotr Zinsky is noted in a 1723 register of nobility in the Mazovia region of Poland. In the 19th century, during the partitions of Poland, a Józef Zinsky is recorded as participating in the November Uprising of 1830 against the Russian Empire.
Several notable individuals bearing the Zinsky surname have contributed to the cultural and intellectual realms. For instance, in the late 19th century, Maria Zinsky (1852-1929) emerged as a prominent poet and literary figure in Warsaw. Another significant person was Aleksander Zinsky (1885-1943), an economist and member of the Polish Sejm (parliament) during the interwar period.
The Zinsky surname also appears in academic circles. A genealogical study published in 1928 by Professor Ludwik Zinsky (1864-1932), an eminent historian, provided significant insights into the social structures of medieval Poland. Shortly before World War II, a concert pianist named Katarzyna Zinsky (1909-1940) gained brief renown for her performances across Europe, reflecting the cultural presence of the family.
Records of the Zinsky name indicate its persistence and evolution in Eastern Europe despite the region's tumultuous history. The name, like many others from the area, holds a story of resilience and cultural continuity. This detailed account of the Zinsky surname provides a glimpse into the historical tapestry from which it emerged, painting a picture of both ordinary and notable lives intertwined with the broader chronicles of history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zinsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Zinsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zinsky 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 Zinsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zinsky
Zinsky 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+4 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,100 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 5,100 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 8,261 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 Zinsky 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 | #133,048 | #141,309 | -6.2% |
| Count | 127 | 121 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zinsky bearers went from 127 to 121 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 8,261 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #141,309.
FAQ
Zinsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zinsky?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Zinsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Zinsky?
Zinsky ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Zinsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Zinsky.
Has Zinsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zinsky went from 127 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Zinsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zinsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Zinsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zinsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Zinsky (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 Zinsky mean?
A Jewish surname derived from a Polish place name. 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 Zinsky (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 many Americans have the surname Zinsky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.