Zubal last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Zubal

An ethnic surname indicating origins in or descent from Zubal, a town in Slovenia.

Zubal, 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 Zubal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zubal in America

Zubal is the 71886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zubal surname appeared 271 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 Zubal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zubal 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 71886 63812 11.90%
Count 271 292 -7.46%
Proportion per 100k 0.09 0.11 -20.00%

The history of the last name Zubal

The surname Zubal has its origins in Eastern Europe, predominantly in Slovakia. The name is believed to date back to the medieval period, emerging from regions characterized by a mix of Slavic and Hungarian influences. The root of the surname appears to derive from the Slovak word "zub," meaning "tooth," which was often used metaphorically to describe someone with a fierce or tenacious character. This association with "tooth" or "fang" symbolizes strength and determination, traits that might have been attributed to the original bearers of the name.

In historical contexts, the name Zubal appears in various forms and spellings. Old records from the Kingdom of Hungary (modern-day Slovakia was part of this kingdom) contain references to individuals with the surname Zubal or similar variants like Zubál and Zuballo. These records, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, were often tax or land documents, indicating that the Zubal family may have been landowners or significant figures within their local communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Jan Zubal, a landowner mentioned in a 1467 tax register in the Trnava region. His holdings were modest, but his name is noted for being part of one of the more comprehensive tax records from that time. By the 17th century, the surname appears in other parts of Slovakia, such as the Orava region, suggesting a spread of the family name across different territories.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the name gained further prominence. Juraj Zubal, born in 1760, was a notable figure who served as a local judge in the town of Ružomberok in the Liptov region. His legal decisions and community service are documented in the town's archives. Later, in the mid-19th century, another influential individual, Mikuláš Zubal, born in 1825, was a well-respected teacher and folklorist in the region of Spiš. His efforts to document and preserve local folklore had a lasting impact on the cultural heritage of Slovakia.

In addition to these historical figures, the Zubal surname appears in various censuses and immigration records throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, as individuals and families migrated to America and other parts of Europe. This diaspora spread the name far beyond its original borders, adding to its historical tapestry. Famous bearers of the name include Štefan Zubal, born in 1869, a Slovak-American who became a prominent businessman in Pennsylvania, reflecting the name's successful integration and influence outside its native land.

Despite its spread, the Zubal surname maintains a strong cultural and historical connection to its Slovak origins. The name, steeped in the region's rich history and linguistic heritage, continues to be a symbol of strength and resilience, much like the metaphorical "tooth" from which it is derived. Through the centuries, the Zubal name has been carried by individuals who have played significant roles in their communities, contributing to the social and cultural fabric of their times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zubal

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

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 Zubal was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 99.26% 269
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Zubal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 99.26% 98.63% 0.64%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Zubal last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/zubal-surname-popularity/.

"Zubal last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/zubal-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Zubal last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/zubal-surname-popularity/.

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