2000
#3,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,323
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.09
Uncommon Last name
Zook
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of salt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,869 Americans carry the last name Zook. That puts it at #3,133 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zook 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
13K
1 in 26,634
Census rank
#3,133
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,222 bearers of the surname Zook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3133rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zook, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zook
The surname Zook has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Zug," which translates to "move" or "migrate." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who had migrated from one region to another.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zook can be found in the town of Zurich, Switzerland, where a family bearing this surname resided in the 14th century. The name was also prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire during that time period.
In the 16th century, the Zook family expanded their presence throughout various parts of Germany, including the Palatinate region and the Rhineland. Some historical records from this era, such as church registers and land ownership documents, mention individuals with the surname Zook.
As the Zook family continued to grow and spread across Europe, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Zook, Zuke, and Zuch. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.
One notable individual bearing the surname Zook was Johann Zook, a German writer and philosopher born in 1590 in Nuremberg. He authored several works on metaphysics and ethics, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, members of the Zook family began immigrating to the American colonies, particularly Pennsylvania. Among the earliest recorded arrivals was Hans Zook, who settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1700s.
Another significant figure was Jacob Zook (1732-1809), a prominent Mennonite leader and minister in Pennsylvania. He played a crucial role in the establishment of several Mennonite congregations and was highly respected within the community.
In the 19th century, the Zook family continued to grow and disperse throughout various regions of the United States. One noteworthy individual was Samuel Kinsey Zook (1821-1863), a Union Army officer who fought and lost his life during the American Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg.
As the Zook family expanded across different continents, the surname became more widely recognized and established. Other notable individuals bearing this name include Marvin Zook (1894-1964), an American politician and businessman, and Marjorie Zook (1916-2009), a renowned American artist and sculptor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zook
Among Census respondents with the surname Zook, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Zook 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 Zook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 10,709
- Two or more races1.8% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 187
- Black or African American0.4% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zook
Zook 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
#3,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,824
+1,501 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Up 307 places
2020
#3,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,222
+1,398 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Up 480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,920 | 8,323 | 3.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,613 | 9,824 | 3.33 | +1,501 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 307 places |
| 2020 | #3,133 | 11,222 | 3.75 | +1,398 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 480 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 Zook 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 | #3,613 | #3,133 | 13.3% |
| Count | 9,824 | 11,222 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.33 | 3.75 | 12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zook bearers went from 9,824 to 11,222 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 480 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,613 to #3,133.
FAQ
Zook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zook?
Name Census estimates that about 12,869 living Americans carry the surname Zook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,634 residents.
How common is Zook?
Zook ranks #3,133 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,222 people with the surname Zook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,869), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Zook.
Has Zook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zook went from 9,824 recorded bearers to 11,222. That is an increase of 1,398 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,613 to #3,133.
What does the Census say about the background of Zook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zook, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Zook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (10,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Zook (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 Zook mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of salt. 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 Zook (3.75 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 have the last name Zook?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Zook? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.