Explore the Family Name Zell
The meaning of Zell
German: habitational name from any of numerous places called Zell. Compare Zelle.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Zell in the United States?
The surname Zell ranked 9,708 in popularity according to the Decennial U.S. Census data of 2000, with a count of 3,070. However, by the 2010 census, it had slipped to a ranking of 10,520, representing a change of -8.36 in rank and a slight decrease in count to 3,049. This drop in rank suggests that the surname is becoming less common in the United States, as its proportion per 100,000 people also fell from 1.14 in 2000 to 1.03 in 2010, indicating a decline of 9.65 percent.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | #9,708 | #10,520 | -8.36% |
Count | 3,070 | 3,049 | -0.68% |
Proportion per 100k | 1.14 | 1.03 | -9.65% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zell
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Zell surname identified as White in both 2000 (93.81 percent) and 2010 (94.62 percent). The representation of this ethnicity increased slightly by 0.86 percent over the decade. There was also an increase in the percentage of people with the Zell surname identifying as Hispanic (from 2.12 percent to 2.46 percent) and those identifying as belonging to two or more races (from 0.85 percent to 1.44 percent). Conversely, there was a significant decrease in the percentage identifying as Black, down from 2.44 percent in 2000 to just 0.56 percent in 2010, representing a change of -77.05 percent. Notably, the 2010 census reported individuals with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native for the first time.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 93.81% | 94.62% | 0.86% |
Hispanic | 2.12% | 2.46% | 16.04% |
Two or More Races | 0.85% | 1.44% | 69.41% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.62% | 0% |
Black | 2.44% | 0.56% | -77.05% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.3% | 0% |
Zell ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Zell is British & Irish, which comprises 32.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (31.9%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (14.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Vietnamese, and Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
---|---|
British & Irish | 32.0% |
French & German | 31.9% |
Ashkenazi Jewish | 14.7% |
Other | 21.4% |
![Zell](/_next/static/media/gb.dc1a9d97.webp)
Possible origins of the surname Zell
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Zell have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
---|---|
Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 72.50% |
Merseyside, United Kingdom | 72.50% |
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 72.50% |
Greater London, United Kingdom | 72.50% |
West Midlands, United Kingdom | 71.30% |
What Zell haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Zell is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Zell surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
![zell](/_next/static/media/Map_paternal_O_blue.e82912a2.webp)
![Paternal Haplo Image](/_next/static/media/vietnam_halong_bay.914b72e1.webp)
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
![Maternal Haplo Image](/_next/static/media/marie_antoinette.b4819cf7.webp)
What do people with the surname Zell have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Traits
![Zell](/_next/static/media/cheek_dimples-blue.feac3f40.webp)
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Zell" Surname 56.2%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Wellness
Are health conditions linked to the last name Zell?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Zell are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition