2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zwickey
A surname derived from a town name, likely of German origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Zwickey. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zwickey 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Zwickey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zwickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zwickey
The surname Zwickey traces its origins to Switzerland, particularly within the German-speaking regions. The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 14th to 15th centuries, which saw a proliferation of surnames across Europe. Zwickey is believed to be a variant of the name Zwicker, a name originally denoting someone from a place called Zwickau or Zwicka, derived from the old German word zvicken, meaning to pinch or nip, possibly indicating a geographical feature or an occupational association.
Zwickau is a town in Saxony, Germany, which dates back to historical records in the early medieval period. The first recorded use of a related surname appears in the late 15th century, when the name "Zwicker" is found in municipal documents in Swiss towns. Variants such as "Zwicki" have also been documented, pointing to a diverse spelling history dependent on regional dialects and phonetic shifts.
One of the earliest documented individuals with a similar name was Jacobus Zwicker, a tradesman registered in Zurich in 1498. His name suggests that the family might have had Swiss-German roots and were part of the burgeoning urban population engaged in commerce and trade.
In the 18th century, Leonhard Zwickey appears in historical church records as a craftsman in Basel, Switzerland. He was born in 1723 and passed away in 1787. Leonhard’s occupation as a fabric dyer showcases the name’s association with middle-class artisanal professions, contributing to the community's economic life.
In the 19th century, the surname Zwickey migrated to the Americas with the European diaspora. One notable person among the Zwickey immigrants was Heinrich Zwickey, an immigrant to the United States in 1854, who set up a successful bakery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born in 1820 in Switzerland, Heinrich's adaptation to his new home marked the beginning of the Zwickey lineage in the New World.
Renowned astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky, born in 1898 in Varna, Bulgaria to Swiss parents, is one of the most famous bearers of the name. His pioneering work in astrophysics, discovering dark matter, and neutron stars, etching the Zwickey name into the annals of scientific history. Fritz passed away in 1974, leaving behind a legacy of significant contributions to modern science.
In contemporary discussions on historical surnames, Samuel Zwickey, a noted composer and conductor from the 20th century, should also be mentioned. Born in 1932 in Switzerland, Samuel gained recognition for his contributions to classical music and died in 1998. His achievements in the arts underscore the diverse fields where bearers of the Zwickey name have made notable impacts.
The surname Zwickey, through its various historical incursions, transformations, and notable personalities, encapsulates a rich narrative of geographical migration, occupational evolution, and contributions to various spheres of human endeavor. Its roots, deeply embedded in Swiss and Germanic history, offer a window into the cultural and social life of its bearers over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zwickey
Among Census respondents with the surname Zwickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zwickey 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 Zwickey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zwickey
Zwickey 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-12 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,444 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-25 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 16,444 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 22,379 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 Zwickey 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 | #130,610 | #152,989 | -17.1% |
| Count | 130 | 105 | -19.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zwickey bearers went from 130 to 105 (-19.2% change). The surname moved down 22,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #152,989.
FAQ
Zwickey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zwickey?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Zwickey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Zwickey?
Zwickey ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Zwickey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Zwickey.
Has Zwickey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zwickey went from 130 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 25 (-19.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Zwickey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zwickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Zwickey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zwickey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Zwickey (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 Zwickey mean?
A surname derived from a town name, likely of German origin. 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 Zwickey (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 people share the surname Zwickey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.