2000
#10,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Zumwalt
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "at the wood," likely referring to a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,272 Americans carry the last name Zumwalt. That puts it at #10,701 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,754 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zumwalt 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
3.3K
1 in 104,754
Census rank
#10,701
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,853 bearers of the surname Zumwalt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10701st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zumwalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zumwalt
The surname Zumwalt is of German origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River and the Black Forest. The name is derived from the Old German words "zum Walt," which translates to "at the forest" or "near the woods."
The earliest recorded instances of the Zumwalt surname can be found in various church records and local archives from the late 1500s and early 1600s. These records often spelled the name with slight variations, such as "Zum Waldt," "Zum Walde," or "Zumwald." The name was likely given to individuals who lived near or worked in forested areas, perhaps as woodsmen, foresters, or charcoal burners.
In the 17th century, the Zumwalt name appeared in several historical documents related to the German immigration to the American colonies. One notable figure was Johann Adam Zumwalt, who was born in 1693 in Wurtemberg, Germany, and immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. He settled in Lancaster County and is considered one of the earliest Zumwalt ancestors in America.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Zumwalt family spread across various parts of the United States, with some members settling in states such as Virginia, Ohio, and Missouri. One prominent Zumwalt was Elmo Russell Zumwalt Jr., born in 1920, who served as the Chief of Naval Operations for the United States Navy during the Vietnam War era.
Another notable individual with the Zumwalt surname was Jacob Zumwalt, born in 1761 in Virginia. He served as a lieutenant in the American Revolutionary War and later became a farmer and landowner in Kentucky. His son, John Zumwalt, born in 1790, was a pioneer who helped establish settlements in Missouri and was active in the state's early politics.
In the realm of literature, Willa Cather's novel "One of Ours" features a character named Claude Zumwalt, a young Nebraskan who serves in World War I. While a fictional character, this portrayal reflects the presence of the Zumwalt name in the American Midwest during the early 20th century.
Despite its German origins, the Zumwalt surname has become well-established in various parts of the United States, with many families contributing to the nation's history and development over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zumwalt
Among Census respondents with the surname Zumwalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zumwalt 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 Zumwalt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 2,538
- Two or more races4.9% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zumwalt
Zumwalt 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
#10,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,115
+146 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 326 places
2020
#10,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,853
-262 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,013 | 2,969 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,339 | 3,115 | 1.06 | +146 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 326 places |
| 2020 | #10,701 | 2,853 | 0.95 | -262 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 362 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 Zumwalt 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 | #10,339 | #10,701 | -3.5% |
| Count | 3,115 | 2,853 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.95 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zumwalt bearers went from 3,115 to 2,853 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,339 to #10,701.
FAQ
Zumwalt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zumwalt?
Name Census estimates that about 3,272 living Americans carry the surname Zumwalt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,754 residents.
How common is Zumwalt?
Zumwalt ranks #10,701 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,853 people with the surname Zumwalt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Zumwalt.
Has Zumwalt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zumwalt went from 3,115 recorded bearers to 2,853. That is a decrease of 262 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,339 to #10,701.
What does the Census say about the background of Zumwalt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zumwalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Zumwalt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (2,538 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zumwalt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Zumwalt (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 Zumwalt mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "at the wood," likely referring to a forest. 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 Zumwalt (0.95 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 Zumwalt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.