Explore the Family Name Zee

The meaning of Zee

1. Dutch: rare variant of Van Zee or its cognate Van der Zee (see Vanderzee) and, in North America, (also) a shortened form of these. 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 錢 (see Qian 1), 徐 (see Xu 1) and 薛 (see Xue).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Zee in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Zee has experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 23831st most popular name in the U.S., but by 2010, its rank had decreased to 25601—a change of -7.43%. The number of people bearing the surname also decreased from 990 in 2000 to 964 in 2010, marking a -2.63% change. The proportion per 100k population likewise saw a decrease from 0.37 in 2000 to 0.33 in 2010, a drop of -10.81%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#23,831	#25,601	-7.43%
Count	990	964	-2.63%
Proportion per 100k	0.37	0.33	-10.81%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zee

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a diverse ethnic identity associated with the surname Zee. In 2000, the highest percentage, 53.84%, identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, which slightly decreased to 51.87% by 2010. Those identifying as having two or more ethnicities increased from 3.33% to 3.42%. White individuals represented 36.16% in 2000, increasing marginally to 36.51% in 2010. The Hispanic and Black populations each saw an increase, with Hispanics going from 2.02% to 2.39% and Blacks from 2.63% to 3.11%. There was a significant increase in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, jumping from 2.02% in 2000 to 2.70% in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	53.84%	51.87%	-3.66%
White	36.16%	36.51%	0.97%
Two or More Races	3.33%	3.42%	2.7%
Black	2.63%	3.11%	18.25%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	2.02%	2.7%	33.66%
Hispanic	2.02%	2.39%	18.32%