2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zinszer
A German occupational surname derived from the term "Zinsgiesser," referring to a collector of taxes or rents.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Zinszer. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zinszer 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Zinszer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zinszer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zinszer
The surname Zinszer is of Germanic origin and likely dates back to the medieval period in regions of Central Europe, particularly areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Austria. During this time, surnames began to be adopted by the general populace for identification purposes, a shift necessitated by growing administrative needs.
The name Zinszer appears to be rooted in the Old High German word "zins," which means "tribute" or "tax." This suggests that the surname may have originally been occupational, potentially indicating a person who was a tax collector or involved in managing feudal dues. Surnames derived from occupations were common in medieval Europe, as they provided a clear identifier of a person's role in society. Variations of the name, such as Zinsser and Zins, have also been documented.
Historical references to the name Zinszer are sparse but significant. One of the earliest recorded examples is found in a 14th-century Bavarian manuscript detailing local tax records, where a Heinrich Zinszer is mentioned as a tax collector in a small village near Munich. This reinforces the occupational origin theory of the surname.
By the 16th century, the name appears in more official documents. For instance, Johann Zinszer, born in 1502 and died in 1575, is recorded as a merchant in Augsburg, a significant city during the time of the Renaissance. Johann's involvement in trade and commerce aligns well with the feudal and economic connotations of the surname.
Another notable individual bearing the surname is Wilhelm Zinszer, an academic born in 1628 and who died in 1694. He was a scholar at Heidelberg University, contributing to early scientific texts that were circulated throughout Europe. His works in early physics and natural philosophy were well-regarded, illustrating the surname's presence in scholarly and intellectual circles.
In the 18th century, the name can be found in emigration records. Dietrich Zinszer, born in 1734, is documented as having settled in Pennsylvania, United States, around 1760. His movements are part of a larger wave of German immigration to America, bringing the name and its heritage to new continents.
By the 19th century, Karl Zinszer, an influential banker born in 1821 and died in 1887, had made significant contributions to the financial sector in Vienna. His banking practices were seen as innovative, and his legacy includes the founding of several banking institutions that would shape Austrian financial history.
The surname Zinszer, through its historical journey, reflects a rich tapestry of occupational origins and geographical migrations. Key figures such as Heinrich Zinszer, Johann Zinszer, Wilhelm Zinszer, Dietrich Zinszer, and Karl Zinszer exemplify the diverse fields and societal contributions made by individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zinszer
Among Census respondents with the surname Zinszer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zinszer 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 Zinszer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zinszer
Zinszer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-23 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 19,677 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 Zinszer 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 | #135,593 | #155,270 | -14.5% |
| Count | 124 | 101 | -18.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zinszer bearers went from 124 to 101 (-18.5% change). The surname moved down 19,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #155,270.
FAQ
Zinszer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zinszer?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Zinszer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Zinszer?
Zinszer ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Zinszer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Zinszer.
Has Zinszer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zinszer went from 124 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 23 (-18.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Zinszer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zinszer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Zinszer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zinszer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Zinszer (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 Zinszer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the term "Zinsgiesser," referring to a collector of taxes or rents. 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 Zinszer (0.03 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 last name Zinszer?
Want to know how many people are called Zinszer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.