2000
#18,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Zona
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "zona" meaning "belt" or "girdle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,617 Americans carry the last name Zona. That puts it at #19,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 211,969 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zona 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
1.6K
1 in 211,969
Census rank
#19,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,410 bearers of the surname Zona in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zona, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zona
The surname Zona has its origins in Italy, specifically from the southern regions such as Calabria and Sicily. Its use can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 13th and 14th centuries. The name Zona is derived from the Italian word "zona," meaning "zone" or "area," which in turn originates from the Latin "zona," meaning "belt" or "girdle." This etymology suggests that the name may have originally been a toponymic surname, referring to someone who lived in or near a particular area or zone.
Historical references to the surname Zona can be found in various Italian medieval documents. One such early record is from a 14th-century manuscript from Calabria, where a family bearing the surname Zona is mentioned among landowners. The name appears in various spellings over the centuries, including Zona, Zonni, and Zonas, showing the flexibility in medieval Italian orthography.
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Zona is from 1320, in a census document listing landowners in the region of Calabria. Another notable appearance of the surname is in a 1425 legal document in Sicily, where a Vincenzo Zona is mentioned as a witness in a property dispute. These documents provide evidence of the surname's establishment in these regions during the Middle Ages.
Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Zona. One such person is Angelo Zona, a composer and musician born in 1680 in Sicily, who contributed significantly to the Baroque music scene until his death in 1740. Another historical figure is Francesca Zona, an Italian poet from the late 17th century, whose works were celebrated for their lyrical beauty.
Moving forward to the 18th and 19th centuries, Giovanni Zona, born in 1732, became a distinguished painter known for his religious and historical frescoes in several churches throughout Italy. His works continued to inspire artists until his death in 1804. Additionally, Luigi Zona, born in 1790, was a prominent Italian mathematician who published several influential works on geometry and algebra before his death in 1857.
In the 20th century, Maria Teresa Zona, born in 1885, was a pioneering educator and writer who played a significant role in advancing women's education in Italy. Her influential work continued until her death in 1965, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of educational reform.
Throughout history, the surname Zona has been associated with distinguished figures in various fields, from music and poetry to painting, mathematics, and education. The name's enduring presence in historical records highlights its significance and the contributions of those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zona
Among Census respondents with the surname Zona, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zona 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 Zona surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 1,343
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 36
- Two or more races1.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zona
Zona 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
#19,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,428
+90 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#19,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,410
-18 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,883 | 1,338 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,062 | 1,428 | 0.48 | +90 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #19,236 | 1,410 | 0.47 | -18 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 174 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 Zona 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 | #19,062 | #19,236 | -0.9% |
| Count | 1,428 | 1,410 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.47 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zona bearers went from 1,428 to 1,410 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,062 to #19,236.
FAQ
Zona surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zona?
Name Census estimates that about 1,617 living Americans carry the surname Zona. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 211,969 residents.
How common is Zona?
Zona ranks #19,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.47 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 1,410 people with the surname Zona. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,617), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.47 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 Zona.
Has Zona become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zona went from 1,428 recorded bearers to 1,410. That is a decrease of 18 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,062 to #19,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Zona?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zona, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Zona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (1,343 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zona appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Zona (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 Zona mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "zona" meaning "belt" or "girdle". 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 Zona (0.47 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 surname Zona?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.