2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zullinger
A German surname derived from the region of Zullingen or meaning "from Zullingen".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Zullinger. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zullinger 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Zullinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zullinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zullinger
The surname Zullinger has its origins rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly within the modern-day boundaries of Germany and Switzerland. Tracing back to the late medieval period, the name likely emerged during the 14th and 15th centuries, a time of significant socio-economic transition within these regions.
Zullinger is believed to originate from a toponymic basis, implying that it was derived from a geographical location or a specific place where the initial bearers of the surname lived. This pattern can be seen in similar Germanic surnames that frequently reference rivers, mountains, or valleys. The root word "Zull" does not have a direct translation in modern German, suggesting that it may pertain to either a local dialect or an archaic term whose meaning has since faded from common usage. The suffix "inger" is typical of German surnames and generally signifies "belonging to" or "associated with" a place. It is common in surnames denoting origin or habitation.
The name appears in historical records such as church registers, land deeds, and population censuses from the early modern period. One of the earliest references to a derivative of Zullinger can be found in a 16th-century Bavarian tax roll, indicating the presence of a Johannes Zullinger, a farmer who resided in a small village near Munich. This establishes not only the historical presence of the surname but also its association with agrarian lifestyles, common among the naming conventions of that era.
Another notable reference is in the church records of Zurich in Switzerland from 1583, which mention a Hans Zullinger, a skilled blacksmith, indicating that carriers of this name may have also been involved in various trades beyond agriculture. As these regions were centers of commerce and craftsmanship during the Renaissance, it is plausible that the Zullinger surname was associated with skilled artisanal work.
By the 17th century, other members of the Zullinger family began appearing in records such as marriage registries and property documentation. For example, an Elisabeth Zullinger (1620-1685) was documented in the marriage records of Nuremberg as marrying into a prominent merchant family. This marriage signifies social mobility and the potential influence of the Zullinger family during this period.
An 18th-century historical figure with the surname is Friedrich Zullinger (1732-1790), involved in the intellectual circles of Frankfurt, known for his contributions to early German philosophy, although his works did not achieve long-lasting fame, they were noted in various contemporary accounts. This highlights the surname's penetration into diverse professional spheres.
Finally, into the early 19th century, the Zullinger name continued to surface in records such as those of the Napoleonic Wars, where a Karl Zullinger (1765-1813) served as an officer in the Kingdom of Bavaria’s army. His service and subsequent mention in military annals of the period reflect both the surname's persistence and the evolving roles of its bearers in society.
Thus, the surname Zullinger has a rich historical tapestry, with its etymological roots entrenched in the German-speaking regions, evolving through time from agricultural roots to diverse professional engagements. Its bearers, documented over the centuries, provide glimpses into the socio-economic and cultural shifts within these historical periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zullinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Zullinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zullinger 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 Zullinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 109
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zullinger
Zullinger 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-22 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 30,834 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 30,834 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,569 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 Zullinger 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 | #157,234 | #148,665 | 5.4% |
| Count | 103 | 111 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zullinger bearers went from 103 to 111 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #148,665.
FAQ
Zullinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zullinger?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Zullinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Zullinger?
Zullinger ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Zullinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Zullinger.
Has Zullinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zullinger went from 103 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Zullinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zullinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Zullinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zullinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Black (0.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Zullinger (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 Zullinger mean?
A German surname derived from the region of Zullingen or meaning "from Zullingen". 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 Zullinger (0.04 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 Zullinger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.