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

Ziska, 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 Ziska surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ziska in America

Ziska is the 43206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ziska surname appeared 500 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 Ziska.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ziska 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 Ziska

The surname Ziska is of Czech origin, first emerging during the medieval period in the regions that constitute modern-day Czech Republic, particularly in Bohemia. The name Ziska is derived from the old Czech word "žižka," which is a diminutive form of "žiž," meaning a pimple or small bump. This likely references a physical characteristic, marking it as a descriptive surname.

One of the earliest prominent historical figures bearing the surname was Jan Žižka, born circa 1360 and dying in 1424. He was a renowned Czech general and a central figure in the Hussite Wars, a series of conflicts in the early 15th century following the religious reformer Jan Hus' execution. Jan Žižka's military prowess made the surname famous, and his deeds were chronicled extensively in documents from that era. Another reference to Jan Žižka can be found in old Bohemian manuscripts detailing the battles of the Hussite Wars and medieval military strategies.

In the 16th century, records show the surname in various forms, such as Zizca and Siska, indicating the fluidity of spelling during that era. This period also witnessed the more widespread recording of surnames, particularly as tax and citizenship records became more common. For instance, a merchant by the name of Martin Ziska appeared in Prague city records in 1553, marking one of the earlier non-military references to the surname.

Another figure of note is the composer Jan Ziska del Zidek, who lived during the 17th century. Born in 1600 and passing in 1660, his contributions to Baroque music in the region enriched Czech cultural heritage. His works were noted in ecclesiastical and local archives, which highlighted the spread of the Ziska surname beyond the martial and into the cultural domain.

Fast forward to the 19th century, we encounter the name in academic circles with Franz Ziska, a notable philologist born in 1835 and deceased in 1910. His studies on Slavic languages and contributions to the understanding of etymology encapsulate the scholarly reach of the Ziska name.

Finally, we cannot neglect Anton Ziska, an early 20th-century industrialist born in 1878, who played a significant role in the economic development of Prague before his death in 1945. His ventures into manufacturing and trade illustrated the adaptability and evolving nature of the surname's bearers through centuries.

Through historical records and noteworthy bearers, the surname Ziska has been traced from its descriptive roots in medieval Bohemia to prominent figures across military, cultural, academic, and economic spheres.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ziska

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!