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

Zou, 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 Zou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zou in America

Zou is the 7408th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zou surname appeared 4,493 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Zou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zou 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 Zou

The surname "Zou" originates from China, specifically the southern regions of the country. It can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), and is believed to be derived from the Chinese word "zou" which means "to walk" or "to travel."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the "Zizhi Tongjian," a historical chronicle compiled in the 11th century by scholars during the Song Dynasty. This work documents several individuals with the surname "Zou" who held various positions in the imperial court or military ranks during the Tang Dynasty period.

The name "Zou" is also associated with several place names throughout China's history. For instance, there was a town called "Zoucheng" in the modern-day Shandong Province, which was mentioned in records dating back to the Tang Dynasty. The name "Zou" may have originated from this or similar place names.

Over the centuries, the surname "Zou" has had several variations in its spelling and pronunciation, such as "Tsou" or "Tsu." Some notable individuals who bore this surname include Zou Yan (305-240 BC), a renowned philosopher and strategist during the Warring States period, and Zou Hongzhi (1612-1689), a prominent Confucian scholar and calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty.

In more recent history, there have been several influential figures with the surname "Zou." These include Zou Rong (1885-1905), a prominent revolutionary and martyr in the early 20th century who fought against the Qing Dynasty, and Zou Taofen (1895-1944), a famous journalist and writer who played a significant role in the Chinese literary scene during the Republican era.

Another notable individual was Zou Zuoren (1911-1986), a renowned Chinese mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of topology and algebraic geometry. Additionally, Zou Sheng (born 1966) is a celebrated Chinese actor and director who has starred in numerous films and television series, earning him widespread recognition and numerous awards.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zou

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!