Zink
A German surname probably tied to a nickname or old dialect word, with some evidence pointing to a white spot or blemish as the original sense.
The #3,882 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,802 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Zink is generally treated as German in origin. One 19th-century source connects it with Old High German or dialectal forms such as zinco, said to mean a white spot in the eye, which would make it a descriptive nickname. Other early writers also suggest it may belong to a broader set of German names that lost a final -k over time, so the exact path is not certain.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and later turns up in English-language records, especially among immigrant families. Because it is short and phonetically simple, it may also have been shaped by spelling variation over time. Modern bearers are found in the United States and other countries with German diaspora populations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century German surname scholar specifically glossed zinco as a term for a white mark in the eye, which is one reason Zink has been explained as a nickname surname.
From the historical record
“*J16'JCV6> Zink. Just Pubfix/ietf, /trice. 14,9., demy Hvo, cloth, lettered, VERBA NOMINALIA ; OR, WORDS DERIVED FROM PROPER NAMES.”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames