2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zisko
A surname likely originating from a place or topographic name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Zisko. 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 Zisko 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 Zisko 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 Zisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zisko
The surname Zisko has its origins in Eastern Europe, predominantly found within the regions that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and present-day Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The earliest mention of the name dates back to the medieval period, specifically around the 14th and 15th centuries. It appears that Zisko is derived from a diminutive form of a given name associated with the ancient Slavic root *zhizn*, meaning "life". This suggests that the name may have originally been used to signify vitality or a connection to life.
Records from the 15th century show a variant spelling of the surname as Zysko in historical documents housed in Polish archives. During this period, names often altered slightly in spelling and form depending on local dialects and scribal traditions. One of the earliest recorded instances is from 1476, where a Jakub Zysko is mentioned in the court registers of Kraków, Poland. This establishes the surname as both a geographic and cultural marker of identity.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Slovakian town of Bardejov. Notably, Martin Zisko, born around 1540, was a prominent burgher of the town, contributing to local governance and trade. His involvement in the town's civic affairs is documented in municipal records from 1582, where he is listed among the contributors to the town's defenses against Ottoman incursions.
The surname Zisko also surfaces in Ukrainian historical texts. A figure of some renown is Ivan Zisko, a Cossack leader born in 1592 who played a pivotal role in several uprisings against Polish rule. Records from the 1620s detail his activities, depicting him as a local hero in the region of Kharkiv, where his exploits were celebrated in folk songs and oral traditions.
The 18th century saw the name Zisko in the context of academic contributions. Jan Zisko, born in 1720, became known as a mathematician and astronomer in the Habsburg territories. His works on celestial navigation attracted the attention of the Viennese court, leading to significant publications around 1760. His intellectual legacy is noted in the archives of the University of Vienna, where he held a professorship.
By the 19th century, migration patterns had distributed the Zisko surname more widely across Europe. One notable individual from this era is Samuel Zisko, born in 1808 in what is modern-day Slovakia. He became a dramatist and poet, contributing significantly to Slovak literature, with several of his plays being performed in Bratislava and Pest through the 1840s.
The surname Zisko's distribution and historical footprint highlight its significance in regions marked by cultural and political flux. It stands as a testament to the enduring nature of family names and their role in tracing lineage and heritage through centuries of history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zisko
Among Census respondents with the surname Zisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Zisko 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 Zisko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zisko
Zisko 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-9 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,544 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-8 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,930 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 14,544 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 9,930 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 Zisko 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 | #131,379 | #141,309 | -7.6% |
| Count | 129 | 121 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zisko bearers went from 129 to 121 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 9,930 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #141,309.
FAQ
Zisko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zisko?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Zisko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Zisko?
Zisko 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 Zisko. 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 Zisko.
Has Zisko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zisko went from 129 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Zisko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Zisko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zisko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Zisko (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 Zisko mean?
A surname likely originating from a place or topographic 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 Zisko (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 people share the surname Zisko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.