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

Zonis, 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 Zonis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zonis in America

Zonis is the 110825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zonis surname appeared 159 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 Zonis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zonis 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 Zonis

The surname Zonis originates from the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, primarily in the region that is now Lithuania and Belarus. The earliest traces of the surname can be found in the 16th century, during a period when surnames were being adopted for practical and administrative purposes. The name is likely derived from the Hebrew male name Zonana, which means ‘son of Queen’.

One of the earliest recorded appearances of the name can be found in the Lithuanian records from the early 1700s. Johannes Zonis is mentioned in a parish register dated 1713, indicating the family had established themselves in the region by this time.

The name appears in various historical documents throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1765, a Moscow merchant named Mordecai Zonis was documented in economic records. By the 19th century, the name spread into neighboring territories such as Poland and Russia due to the political changes and migrations related to the partitions of Poland and the expansion of the Russian Empire.

The Russian Revolution and subsequent events led to significant Jewish emigration, and thus the surname Zonis appeared in Western Europe and America in the early 20th century. One notable bearer is Joseph Zonis, an American rabbi born in 1890 who contributed significantly to the Jewish community in New York until his death in 1954.

In the field of arts, we have Alice Zonis, a prominent Lithuanian-American actress born in 1917, who had a long career in theater and cinema and was noted for her work in the 1940s to 1970s. Her performances brought the name into the public eye, making it recognizable beyond its ethnic origins.

In academia, Sidney Zonis, born in 1923, became a distinguished professor of economics, contributing significantly to the understanding of the Soviet economy during the Cold War era. His works and publications from the 1950s to the 1980s have left a lasting mark on the field.

Lastly, David Zonis, born in 1945, is recognized in the field of engineering. His innovations in electrical engineering during his career, particularly in the development of early computer technologies, have been influential.

The Zonis surname, while not extraordinarily common, has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with bearers who have made significant contributions in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zonis

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

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

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

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