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

Zirk, 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 Zirk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zirk in America

Zirk is the 60960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zirk surname appeared 330 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 Zirk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zirk 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 Zirk

The surname Zirk appears to have its origins in the countries of Eastern Europe, notably within the present-day regions of Germany and Poland. From a historical perspective, the surname is believed to originate in medieval times, possibly around the 12th or 13th centuries. Its roots may derive from old Germanic or Slavic words, potentially meaning something related to location, occupation, or even personal characteristics.

Etymologically, Zirk could stem from an Old German or Old Slavic term. In German, a similar word "Zirk", closely related to "Zirkel" meaning circle or compass, suggests an association with craftsmanship, perhaps a maker of circles or circle-related tools. In Slavic languages, the name might be linked to terms meaning "place" or "hole", indicating a possible geographical origin.

The surname Zirk appears in several historical references and records. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname is found in a German tax registry dated back to the late 14th century, specifically in the city of Lübeck. Another early example is from a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth census in the early 15th century, which lists a family with the last name Zirk residing in Krakow. Over time, variations of the surname have appeared in different regional records, including Zierk and Cirk, suggesting regional accents and dialectical influences on spelling.

A notable figure bearing the surname Zirk is Johann Zirk, born in 1720, who was an esteemed artisan in Brandenburg, Germany. Another historically significant individual is Anna Zirk, born in 1785 in Gdansk (then Danzig, Poland); she was known for her involvement in local trade. Moving forward in time, Friedrich Zirk, born in 1859, was a mathematician who published several academic papers in Germany.

In the early 20th century, Olga Zirk, born in 1893, became well-known as a pioneer in nursing in East Prussia. Lastly, Emil Zirk, born in 1912, was a notable athlete in pre-war Poland, known for his achievements in track and field.

These historical references and the presence of the name in various regional documents highlight the longstanding and diverse heritage associated with the surname Zirk.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zirk

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

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

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

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