Explore the Family Name Zi
The meaning of Zi
Chinese: 1. Mandarin form of the surname 訾: (i) from the placename Zi (訾), the name of a fief (located in Henan province) in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the placename Zi (訾), the name of a fief (located in Shandong province) granted to an official in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) adopted in place of another Chinese surname Zhai (祭), because the surname Zhai (祭) bears an inauspicious connotation (meaning ‘sacrifice’, which reminds people of death). 2. Mandarin form of the surname 資, meaning ‘fund’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the placename Zi Zhong (資中) (located in present-day Sichuan province), the name of a fief said to be granted to a descendant of the legendary emperor Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (ii) a surname from minority ethnic groups in southwestern China.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Zi in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Zi has seen a significant rise in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the surname jumped from 137,816th place in 2000 to 84,463rd place in 2010, showing an increase of 38.71%. During this period, the count of people with the surname Zi also nearly doubled, increasing by 98.21% from 112 to 222. Consequently, the proportion of people with the surname Zi per 100k has also increased by 100% from 2000 to 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #137,816 | #84,463 | 38.71% |
| Count | 112 | 222 | 98.21% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.04 | 0.08 | 100% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zi
When considering the ethnicity of individuals carrying the surname Zi, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that there was a marked increase in its association with Asian/Pacific Islander identity between 2000 and 2010. This group made up 65.18% of those with the Zi surname in 2000 but rose to 80.18% in 2010. In contrast, the percentage of people with the surname Zi who identified as White decreased from 18.75% to 15.77%, and the representation within the Hispanic population and those identifying with two or more races dropped to zero. There were no recorded instances of the Zi surname among Black populations or American Indian and Alaskan Native identities in either 2000 or 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 65.18% | 80.18% | 23.01% |
| White | 18.75% | 15.77% | -15.89% |
| Two or More Races | 11.61% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 4.46% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |