2000
#8,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Zuckerman
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "tsuker," meaning sugar, referring to a sugar merchant or confectioner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,918 Americans carry the last name Zuckerman. That puts it at #9,172 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,482 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zuckerman 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
3.9K
1 in 87,482
Census rank
#9,172
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,417 bearers of the surname Zuckerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9172nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zuckerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zuckerman
The surname Zuckerman is of Ashkenazic Jewish origin, derived from the German word "Zucker," meaning sugar, and "Mann," meaning man. It likely originated in Germany or the surrounding regions during the Middle Ages when many Jewish families adopted surnames based on occupations or physical characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Zuckerman name can be found in the Jewish community of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in the late 15th century. The name was likely given to individuals involved in the production or trade of sugar, which was a valuable commodity at the time.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Zuckerman surname appeared in various Jewish communities across Europe, including those in Poland, Bohemia, and the Netherlands. This suggests that families with this name may have migrated or fled persecution during this period.
A notable early bearer of the Zuckerman name was Rabbi Yitzchak Zuckerman, a prominent scholar and author who lived in Poland in the late 16th century. He wrote several influential works on Jewish law and philosophy.
Another prominent Zuckerman was Moses Zuckerman, a Dutch merchant and philanthropist born in Amsterdam in 1673. He was a successful businessman and supported various charitable causes within the Jewish community.
In the 19th century, many Zuckermans immigrated to the United States and other countries, escaping persecution and seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Jacob Zuckerman, who arrived in New York City from Poland in 1852 and became a successful businessman.
Other notable Zuckermans include:
1. Abraham Zuckerman (1871-1938), a Russian-born American labor leader and activist.
2. Solly Zuckerman (1904-1993), a British zoologist, philosopher, and public servant.
3. Max Zuckerman (1915-2003), a Polish-born American artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings.
4. Bertram Zuckerman (1917-1997), a British publisher and literary agent.
5. Mordechai Zuckerman (1927-2011), an Israeli military leader and politician.
While the name Zuckerman is found worldwide, it remains most prevalent among Jewish communities, particularly those of Ashkenazic descent, reflecting its rich cultural and historical roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zuckerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Zuckerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zuckerman 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 Zuckerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,139
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 123
- Two or more races2.5% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 47
- Black or African American0.7% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zuckerman
Zuckerman 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
#8,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,731
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 608 places
2020
#9,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,417
-314 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,181 | 3,730 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,789 | 3,731 | 1.26 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 608 places |
| 2020 | #9,172 | 3,417 | 1.14 | -314 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 383 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 Zuckerman 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 | #8,789 | #9,172 | -4.4% |
| Count | 3,731 | 3,417 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.14 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zuckerman bearers went from 3,731 to 3,417 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 383 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,789 to #9,172.
FAQ
Zuckerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zuckerman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,918 living Americans carry the surname Zuckerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,482 residents.
How common is Zuckerman?
Zuckerman ranks #9,172 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,417 people with the surname Zuckerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,918), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Zuckerman.
Has Zuckerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zuckerman went from 3,731 recorded bearers to 3,417. That is a decrease of 314 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,789 to #9,172.
What does the Census say about the background of Zuckerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zuckerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Zuckerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zuckerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Zuckerman (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 Zuckerman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "tsuker," meaning sugar, referring to a sugar merchant or confectioner. 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 Zuckerman (1.14 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 surname Zuckerman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.