2000
#14,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Zou
A Chinese surname meaning "swamp" or "marsh," likely referring to an ancestor's dwelling place or geographic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,892 Americans carry the last name Zou. That puts it at #4,435 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zou 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Zou with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,546
Census rank
#4,435
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,754 bearers of the surname Zou in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4435th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zou
Among Census respondents with the surname Zou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zou 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 Zou surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.5% · 7,479
- White2.0% · 156
- Black or African American0.6% · 50
- Two or more races0.5% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zou
Zou 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
#7,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,493
+2,651 bearers (+143.9%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 7,375 places
2020
#4,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,754
+3,261 bearers (+72.6%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Up 2,973 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,783 | 1,842 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,408 | 4,493 | 1.52 | +2,651 bearers (+143.9%) | Up 7,375 places |
| 2020 | #4,435 | 7,754 | 2.59 | +3,261 bearers (+72.6%) | Up 2,973 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 Zou 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 | #7,408 | #4,435 | 40.1% |
| Count | 4,493 | 7,754 | 72.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 2.59 | 70.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zou bearers went from 4,493 to 7,754 (+72.6% change). The surname moved up 2,973 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,408 to #4,435.
FAQ
Zou surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zou?
Name Census estimates that about 8,892 living Americans carry the surname Zou. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,546 residents.
How common is Zou?
Zou ranks #4,435 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,754 people with the surname Zou. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Zou.
Has Zou become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zou went from 4,493 recorded bearers to 7,754. That is an increase of 3,261 (+72.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,408 to #4,435.
What does the Census say about the background of Zou?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (0.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (7,479 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zou appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.5%), White (2.0%), Black (0.6%). 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 Zou (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 Zou mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "swamp" or "marsh," likely referring to an ancestor's dwelling place or geographic origin. 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 Zou (2.59 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 Americans have the surname Zou?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.