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

Zwilling, 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 Zwilling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zwilling in America

Zwilling is the 35866th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zwilling surname appeared 626 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 Zwilling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zwilling 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 Zwilling

The surname Zwilling has its origins in Germany, deriving from the Middle High German word “zwilinc,” which means “twin.” The surname likely emerged during the medieval period, specifically around the 13th to 15th centuries, from regions in central and southern Germany. The word “zwilinc” itself traces its roots back to the Old High German term “zwiniling,” reinforcing its association with twins.

Zwilling was likely a descriptive surname, initially given to families or individuals who were twins or had twins in their lineage. In terms of historical records, one of the earliest appearances of the surname can be found in medieval German manuscripts and local parish records from the 14th century. For example, a Ulrich Zwilling is mentioned in Bavarian church records from 1372, indicating the name's presence in this region during the Middle Ages.

In later centuries, the name spread to other German-speaking areas and neighboring countries. Johannes Zwilling, born in 1495 and died in 1560, was a notable early bearer of the name. He was a scholar known for his contributions to early Renaissance literature in Germany. The name also appears in civic records from the 16th century in Saxony, where a Heinrich Zwilling is recorded as a local magistrate in 1543.

Migration in the 17th and 18th centuries saw the name Zwilling appear in parts of Eastern Europe, including Poland and Hungary. Anna Zwilling, born in 1630 in what is modern-day Poland, was an early settler who brought the name to these regions during a time of considerable flux and migration throughout Europe.

In the realm of the arts, August Zwilling, born in 1810 and died in 1876, was a German composer and conductor, contributing significantly to the Romantic musical scene in the 19th century. His works, though not widely known today, were well-regarded in local circles during his lifetime.

More recently, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, individuals bearing the surname Zwilling migrated to North America, bringing the name across the Atlantic. Heinrich Zwilling, born in 1856 and emigrated to the United States in 1881, became a prosperous farmer in the Midwest. These migrations contributed to the dispersion and slight variations in the spelling of the surname, but its roots and primary origin remain distinctly German.

The surname Zwilling thus carries a rich historical legacy, derived from an ancient word denoting twinship, and has been borne by various notable figures throughout German and European history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zwilling

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

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

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

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