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

Zitek, 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 Zitek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zitek in America

Zitek is the 59470th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zitek surname appeared 340 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 Zitek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zitek 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 Zitek

The surname Zitek is of Czech origin, with roots tracing back to the Bohemian region of what is now the Czech Republic. The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. Bohemia was a region heavily influenced by Latin and Germanic languages, which often intermingled with Slavic dialects in the area. The surname Zitek is derived from the Czech word zít, meaning "to live" or "to exist," with the diminutive suffix -ek often applied to surnames to denote "little" or "young."

One of the earliest references to the name Zitek appears in historical records from the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 16th century, though exact documentation from this period is scarce. However, a manuscript from 1572 mentions a Petr Zitek, a minor landowner in the region. This suggests that individuals with the surname were of some standing, potentially involved in local governance or agriculture.

As the region experienced various geopolitical changes, including the Habsburg Monarchy's influence and the Thirty Years' War, the surname Zitek spread slightly into neighboring areas. Records from the 18th century show individuals with the name Zitek in both Bohemia and Moravia, another historical region that is part of the modern-day Czech Republic. One notable person from this time was Jan Zitek, born in 1718 and known for his contributions to the local community as a blacksmith.

In the 19th century, with the waves of migration from Europe to the New World, the surname Zitek began to appear in immigration records. One such early immigrant was Josef Zitek, who arrived in the United States in 1853. He settled in what is now the state of Illinois, and his descendants became well-established in the Midwest. Another prominent figure bearing the surname was Karel Zitek, born in 1827, who was a noted educator in Prague and contributed significantly to the educational reforms of his time.

Into the 20th century, the name gained some recognition with figures like Antonín Zitek, born in 1902, who was an influential engineer and contributed to the development of infrastructural projects in Czechoslovakia. His innovations in bridge construction were particularly noteworthy and left a lasting legacy in the field of civil engineering.

Overall, the surname Zitek offers a rich tapestry of history linked to the Bohemian and Moravian regions of the Czech Republic, with its roots deeply interconnected with the local culture and language. It represents a lineage of individuals who have adapted and thrived through various historical epochs, carrying the essence of survival and existence embodied in its etymological roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zitek

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

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

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

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