2000
#10,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Zane
Derived from an Arabic personal name meaning "beauty, grace" or a variant of the surname "Zinn," referring to a tin worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,894 Americans carry the last name Zane. That puts it at #11,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,436 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zane 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
2.9K
1 in 118,436
Census rank
#11,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,524 bearers of the surname Zane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zane, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zane
The surname Zane originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Veneto. It dates back to the 12th century and is believed to be derived from the Italian personal name "Zano," which itself is a shortened form of the Latin name "Zeno." The name "Zeno" is of Greek origin and means "gift of Zeus."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Zane can be found in various Italian documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the "Codice Diplomatico Padovano," a collection of historical records from the city of Padua, where the name appears in reference to a family of landowners and merchants.
In the 15th century, the Zane family gained prominence in Venice, with members holding influential positions in the city's government and commercial affairs. One of the most notable figures from this period was Pietro Zane (1430-1504), a Venetian merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Another significant figure bearing the Zane surname was Giacomo Zane (1668-1735), a Venetian historian and writer who authored several works on the history of Venice and its institutions. His most famous work is the "Storia della Repubblica Veneta," a comprehensive account of the Venetian Republic.
In the 18th century, the Zane family established itself in the United States, with some members settling in Pennsylvania and Virginia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Isaac Zane (1753-1816), a pioneer and frontiersman who founded the settlement of Zanesville, Ohio, named after his family.
Another notable American with the Zane surname was Ebenezer Zane (1747-1811), a pioneer and road builder who established the Zane's Trace, an early road that connected Wheeling, West Virginia, to Maysville, Kentucky, and played a crucial role in the westward expansion of the United States.
Overall, the surname Zane has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with its roots in Italy and a strong presence in the United States, where it has been associated with pioneering efforts and the exploration of the American frontier.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zane
Among Census respondents with the surname Zane, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zane 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 Zane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 1,882
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.0% · 278
- Two or more races6.6% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 151
- Black or African American1.2% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zane
Zane 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
#11,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
-18 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 837 places
2020
#11,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,524
-211 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,665 | 2,753 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,502 | 2,735 | 0.93 | -18 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 837 places |
| 2020 | #11,856 | 2,524 | 0.84 | -211 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 354 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 Zane 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 | #11,502 | #11,856 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,735 | 2,524 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.84 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zane bearers went from 2,735 to 2,524 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 354 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,502 to #11,856.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zane
FAQ
Zane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zane?
Name Census estimates that about 2,894 living Americans carry the surname Zane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,436 residents.
How common is Zane?
Zane ranks #11,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,524 people with the surname Zane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,894), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Zane.
Has Zane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zane went from 2,735 recorded bearers to 2,524. That is a decrease of 211 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,502 to #11,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Zane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zane, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Zane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (1,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Zane (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 Zane mean?
Derived from an Arabic personal name meaning "beauty, grace" or a variant of the surname "Zinn," referring to a tin worker. 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 Zane (0.84 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 Zane?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.