2000
#30,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Zwiebel
A Yiddish surname derived from the German word for "onion".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 912 Americans carry the last name Zwiebel. That puts it at #31,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 375,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zwiebel 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
912
1 in 375,827
Census rank
#31,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
795
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 795 bearers of the surname Zwiebel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zwiebel, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zwiebel
The surname Zwiebel finds its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely dating back to the medieval period around the 13th or 14th centuries. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "zwivel," which translates to onion in English. This root indicates that the name may have been occupational in nature, likely denoting a person who grew or sold onions, or perhaps someone who lived near an onion field.
In Germany, surnames became more prevalent and standardized in the 14th and 15th centuries. The name Zwiebel was particularly common in rural areas where agriculture was the mainstay. Records from this period are sparse, but the name would have appeared in local tax records, church registries, and legal documents.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Zwiebel can be found in a 14th-century municipal register from the city of Nuremberg. Johannes Zwiebel, a merchant recorded in this register around the year 1365, is one of the earliest known bearers of the name. He was noted for exporting agricultural produce, which aligns with the occupational implication of the surname.
By the 16th century, another instance of the surname appears in the form of Anna Zwiebel, documented in the town of Augsburg in 1561. She was known to be involved in local civic activities and charity work, indicating the name's presence in both agricultural and urban settings.
During the Thirty Years' War in the early 17th century, Hans Zwiebel from the region of Baden-Württemberg was conscripted into the local militia. Records from 1623 show his service and subsequent contributions to the rebuilding of his town after the war.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Zwiebel, an academic born in Leipzig in 1738. He made significant contributions to the field of botany, authoring several texts on plant taxonomy before his death in 1789. His work further solidified the connection of the Zwiebel surname to agriculture and plant sciences.
The name Zwiebel is also connected to historical records in Switzerland. Ulrich Zwiebel, born in 1794 in Lucerne, was a prominent artisan known for his woodworking skills. He cataloged and designed some of the era's most intricate furniture pieces, which are now considered valuable antiques.
Overall, the surname Zwiebel has a rich history rooted primarily in Germany and parts of Switzerland, with ties to agriculture, trade, and academic endeavors. This historical journey highlights various individuals bearing the name and reflects its longstanding presence in European history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zwiebel
Among Census respondents with the surname Zwiebel, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zwiebel 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 Zwiebel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 764
- Two or more races2.0% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zwiebel
Zwiebel 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
#29,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 789
+78 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 1,107 places
2020
#31,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 795
+6 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,900 | 711 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,793 | 789 | 0.27 | +78 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 1,107 places |
| 2020 | #31,239 | 795 | 0.27 | +6 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,446 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 Zwiebel 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 | #29,793 | #31,239 | -4.9% |
| Count | 789 | 795 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zwiebel bearers went from 789 to 795 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,793 to #31,239.
FAQ
Zwiebel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zwiebel?
Name Census estimates that about 912 living Americans carry the surname Zwiebel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 375,827 residents.
How common is Zwiebel?
Zwiebel ranks #31,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 795 people with the surname Zwiebel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (912), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Zwiebel.
Has Zwiebel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zwiebel went from 789 recorded bearers to 795. That is an increase of 6 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,793 to #31,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Zwiebel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zwiebel, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Zwiebel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (764 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zwiebel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Zwiebel (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 Zwiebel mean?
A Yiddish surname derived from the German word for "onion". 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 Zwiebel (0.27 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 Zwiebel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.