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

Zul, 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 Zul surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zul in America

Zul is the 90853rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zul surname appeared 203 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 Zul.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zul 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 Zul

The surname Zul is thought to have originated in the Central Asian or possibly Eastern European regions, primarily where Turkic and Slavic cultures intermingled. The name itself is most likely derived from a word in one of the Turkic languages, where "Zul" might have connections to words indicating power, strength, or leadership. An alternative theory suggests it could also come from Old Slavic roots, implying a connection to traits like wisdom or dignity.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Zul appear in documents dating back to the 13th century, in regions that are today parts of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, or Russia. One notable early appearance is found in the annals of the Golden Horde, where a family bearing the name Zul is mentioned as holding significant positions in the court of Batu Khan, a prominent Mongol ruler who reigned from 1227 to 1255.

By the 15th century, the surname Zul appears in military records of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Historical manuscripts from the period around 1430 mention a Mikail Zul, a minor noble who was part of the regional garrison defending against the Teutonic Knights. His descendants carried the name through generations, with various spellings including Zuul and Zoul, depending on the regional dialects and influences.

In the 17th century, the surname Zul migrated westward as part of various political and social upheavals. Records from the Holy Roman Empire archive a Johan Zul, born in 1624 and active around the 1650s as a merchant dealing in spices and textiles. The widespread nature of the surname by this time indicates significant movement and adaptation of the original carriers of the name across Europe.

The 19th century saw the name make its way into administrative records in the Russian Empire, particularly in regions today corresponding to Ukraine and Belarus. A well-documented figure with the surname Zul from this era is Ivan Zul, born in 1842, who served as a local magistrate in what is now Lviv, Ukraine. His work in local governance and law is recorded in several municipal documents.

Among more notable figures is Ali Zul, a notable historian and scholar born in 1879 and passed in 1943, who contributed significant works on the history of Central Asia. His research has been pivotal in understanding the region's diverse cultural and historical landscape and the migrations of various peoples, including those with the surname Zul.

Through the centuries, the surname Zul has seen various spellings and adaptations but has maintained a significant cultural and historical presence in regions rich with Turkic and Slavic influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zul

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

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

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

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