2000
#7,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,399
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Zorn
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "zorn," meaning "anger" or "wrath."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,859 Americans carry the last name Zorn. That puts it at #7,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,540 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zorn 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
4.9K
1 in 70,540
Census rank
#7,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,237 bearers of the surname Zorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zorn
The surname Zorn originated in Germany, where it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "zorn," which means "anger" or "wrath." It likely referred to someone who had a quick temper or a fiery personality.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Zorn can be found in medieval German records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in the Deutsches Städtebuch, a compendium of German city records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Zorn, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1491 to 1548. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and authored several works on religious topics.
Another notable Zorn was Johann Zorn von Plobsheim, a German jurist and statesman who lived from 1617 to 1662. He served as the Imperial Vice-Chancellor and played a crucial role in the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War.
In the 19th century, the name Zorn gained prominence in the art world with Anders Zorn, a Swedish painter and etcher who lived from 1860 to 1920. He is renowned for his portraits and depictions of Swedish rural life.
The name Zorn is also associated with several places in Germany, such as Zorneding, a town in Bavaria, and Zornheim, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely have their roots in the German word "zorn" or its variations.
Other notable individuals with the surname Zorn include Max Zorn, a German-American mathematician who lived from 1906 to 1993 and made significant contributions to the field of set theory, and John Zorn, an American composer and saxophonist born in 1953, known for his contributions to avant-garde and experimental music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Zorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zorn 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 Zorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 3,845
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 151
- Two or more races2.6% · 110
- Black or African American2.4% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zorn
Zorn 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
#7,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,531
+132 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 329 places
2020
#7,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,237
-294 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,024 | 4,399 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,353 | 4,531 | 1.54 | +132 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 329 places |
| 2020 | #7,558 | 4,237 | 1.42 | -294 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 205 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 Zorn 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 | #7,353 | #7,558 | -2.8% |
| Count | 4,531 | 4,237 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.42 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zorn bearers went from 4,531 to 4,237 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,353 to #7,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zorn
FAQ
Zorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zorn?
Name Census estimates that about 4,859 living Americans carry the surname Zorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,540 residents.
How common is Zorn?
Zorn ranks #7,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,237 people with the surname Zorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,859), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Zorn.
Has Zorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zorn went from 4,531 recorded bearers to 4,237. That is a decrease of 294 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,353 to #7,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Zorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Zorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (3,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Zorn (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 Zorn mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "zorn," meaning "anger" or "wrath." 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 Zorn (1.42 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 Zorn?
Find out how many people have the surname Zorn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.