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

Zurheide, 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 Zurheide surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zurheide in America

Zurheide is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zurheide surname appeared 103 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 Zurheide.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zurheide 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 Zurheide

The surname Zurheide has its roots in Germany, originating from a specific type of topographical surname which was often associated with the geographic features of a family's settlement. The name likely emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th to 14th centuries, during a time when surnames began to become fixed and hereditary.

Zurheide is derived from the German words "zur" meaning "to the" and "Heide" meaning "heath" or "moor". Hence, the name translates to "to the heath" or "to the moor", indicating that the original bearers of the surname lived near or were associated with heathlands. This places the origins in regions of Germany where heathland was prevalent, such as Lower Saxony or North Rhine-Westphalia.

One of the earliest recorded instances of a similar surname appears in medieval German manuscripts from the late 14th century, where a Heinrich zur Heide was mentioned in land records from Westphalia. Although this is not identical, it highlights the regional dialect variations that could have existed.

In the 15th century, another instance can be found with the name Johannes Zurheide, who was documented in tax records from the Duchy of Cleves. These records serve as evidence that the surname was well established by this time and had likely been in use for several generations.

The historical evolution of place names and their spellings often mirrored the surnames derived from them. For instance, the place named Heide is a town in northern Germany that could have influenced the surname. Such names were often spelt variably in different local dialects, contributing to slight differences in surname spellings.

Famous individuals with the surname Zurheide include Johann Zurheide, a preacher born in 1745 and known for his theological works in Westphalia. Carl Zurheide, born in 1820, was a noted linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages.

In the 20th century, Otto Zurheide, born in 1884, was a prominent figure in German politics and an advocate for social reforms. Another noteworthy person is Kurt Zurheide, born in 1910, who was a celebrated chemist and researcher in the field of organic chemistry.

The surname Zurheide provides valuable insight into the geographic and social landscapes of historical Germany, reflecting the familial connection to the heathlands and contributing to our understanding of regional nomenclature practices.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zurheide

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

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

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

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