Explore the Family Name Zinn

The meaning of Zinn

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a worker in pewter, Middle High German zin; German Zinn, Yiddish tsin.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Zinn has seen a slight decrease in popularity over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked as the 5555th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 5961st position, marking a decline of 7.31%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname Zinn increased marginally from 5740 in 2000 to 5774 in 2010, a growth of 0.59%. However, when scaled to proportion per 100,000 people, there was a fall of nearly 8%.

20002010Change
Rank#5,555#5,961-7.31%
Count5,7405,7740.59%
Proportion per 100k2.131.96-7.98%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zinn

When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the Zinn surname, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, a majority identify as White, although this percentage slightly decreased from 92.33% in 2000 to 91.22% in 2010. There was notable growth in the proportion of Zinns identifying as Hispanic and those reporting two or more ethnicities, with increases of 65.81% and 47.83%, respectively. The proportions of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw minor increases over the decade. Conversely, the percentage of Zinns who identify as Black declined by about 9% over the same period.

20002010Change
White92.33%91.22%-1.2%
Black4.13%3.74%-9.44%
Hispanic1.17%1.94%65.81%
Two or More Races1.15%1.7%47.83%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.75%0.87%16%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.47%0.54%14.89%

Zinn 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 Zinn is British & Irish, which comprises 34.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (29.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (15.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish34.8%
French & German29.8%
Ashkenazi Jewish15.5%
Other20.0%
Zinn

Possible origins of the surname Zinn

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 Zinn have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom77.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom77.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom76.50%
West Midlands, United Kingdom76.50%
Lancashire, United Kingdom75.80%

What Zinn 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 Zinn is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-DF88 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Granger, Comer, Foss, Hudson, Rust, Carver, Cash, Langley, Galli, Furman.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Zinn surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

zinnPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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

What do people with the surname Zinn 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

Zinn

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Zinn" Surname 55.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Zinn

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Zinn" Surname 23.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Zinn

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Zinn" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Zinn

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Zinn" Surname 21.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Zinn?

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 Zinn are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%