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

Zorb, 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 Zorb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zorb in America

Zorb is the 160975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zorb surname appeared 100 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 Zorb.

The history of the last name Zorb

The surname Zorb has an intriguing origin that can be traced back to Central Europe, particularly within the regions that historically were part of the Holy Roman Empire, including modern-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries. These areas were fertile grounds for the development of many surnames due to their complex social structures and rich linguistic heritage.

The surname Zorb is derived from the Germanic words zorb or zorben, which are archaic terms for trouble or distress. These root words suggest that early bearers of the name may have either lived in a place associated with conflict or difficulty or could have had a personality trait that gained them this epithet. Interestingly, similar spellings, such as Zorbe and Zorber, appear in early records and manuscripts, indicating a common root.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Zorb can be found in a 13th-century tax register from the Bavarian town of Regensburg. An individual named Heinrich Zorb appears in the document, noted for his contributions to local defense efforts against regional conflicts. Another historical reference occurs in the records of the Free City of Lübeck in the mid-14th century, where a merchant named Johannes Zorb is documented as a member of the merchant guild.

A prominent bearer of the surname was Friedrich Zorb, a 16th-century scholar from the University of Heidelberg, born in 1525 and died in 1580. His writings on early natural sciences marked a significant contribution to the academic community of his time. Moving forward to the Baroque period, Katharina Zorb, born in 1634 and died in 1701, was known as a distinguished midwife in Nuremberg, whose practices were recorded in local medical texts.

In the 18th century, a well-known figure was Johann Georg Zorb, an Austrian composer and violinist born in 1743 and died in 1809, whose works were celebrated in the classical music circles of Vienna. The 19th century saw another significant individual, Wilhelm Zorb, an architect born in 1825 and died in 1897, who contributed to the urban design of several towns in Saxony.

These individuals showcase the surname's historical depth and the varied roles people with this surname have played throughout history. The name Zorb carries with it a rich tapestry of cultural and etymological significance, woven through centuries of European history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zorb

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

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 Zorb 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.

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

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

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