2000
#15,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,713
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Zhen
A Chinese surname meaning "real, true, genuine" or referring to the ancient state of Zhen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,961 Americans carry the last name Zhen. That puts it at #6,297 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,499 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zhen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Zhen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,499
Census rank
#6,297
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,198 bearers of the surname Zhen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6297th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zhen
The surname ZHEN is believed to have originated in China, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "甄," which can be translated as "to select" or "to choose."
In ancient China, the ZHEN surname was often associated with scholars and officials who had achieved high ranks through the imperial examination system. The name may have been bestowed upon those who were deemed to be among the most exceptional and carefully selected individuals for prestigious positions within the imperial bureaucracy.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the ZHEN surname can be found in the Shijing, also known as the Classic of Poetry, which is one of the oldest existing collections of Chinese poetry and prose from the early Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC). This suggests that the name has a long and venerable history, dating back to ancient times.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), a prominent figure bearing the ZHEN surname was Zhen Dexiu (1178-1235), a renowned Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar-official. He was highly respected for his contributions to the development of Confucian thought and his influential writings on ethics and governance.
Another notable individual with the ZHEN surname was Zhen Xuan (1061-1127), a prominent scholar and statesman during the Song Dynasty. He served as a high-ranking official and was known for his expertise in the classics and his contributions to the field of philology.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhen Dehui (1457-1522) was a renowned Taoist philosopher and author. He wrote extensively on the principles of Taoism and is considered one of the most influential Taoist thinkers of his time.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), Zhen Guanxi (1842-1922) was a prominent reformer and advocate for modernization in China. He played a significant role in the Self-Strengthening Movement, which aimed to promote technological and military advancements in the face of growing Western influence.
Throughout its long history, the ZHEN surname has been associated with scholars, philosophers, and officials who have made significant contributions to various fields, including literature, philosophy, governance, and social reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zhen
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Zhen 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 Zhen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.5% · 5,120
- White0.8% · 44
- Two or more races0.3% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zhen
Zhen 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
#8,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,661
+1,948 bearers (+113.7%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 6,720 places
2020
#6,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,198
+1,537 bearers (+42.0%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 2,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,661 | 1,713 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,941 | 3,661 | 1.24 | +1,948 bearers (+113.7%) | Up 6,720 places |
| 2020 | #6,297 | 5,198 | 1.74 | +1,537 bearers (+42.0%) | Up 2,644 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 Zhen 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 | #8,941 | #6,297 | 29.6% |
| Count | 3,661 | 5,198 | 42.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.74 | 40.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zhen bearers went from 3,661 to 5,198 (+42.0% change). The surname moved up 2,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,941 to #6,297.
FAQ
Zhen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zhen?
Name Census estimates that about 5,961 living Americans carry the surname Zhen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,499 residents.
How common is Zhen?
Zhen ranks #6,297 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,198 people with the surname Zhen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,961), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Zhen.
Has Zhen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zhen went from 3,661 recorded bearers to 5,198. That is an increase of 1,537 (+42.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,941 to #6,297.
What does the Census say about the background of Zhen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zhen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (5,120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zhen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (98.5%), White (0.8%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Zhen (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 Zhen mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "real, true, genuine" or referring to the ancient state of Zhen. 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 Zhen (1.74 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 last name Zhen?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Zhen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.