Frequency: (266)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
South German: occupational name for a fence maker, Middle High German ziūner. In particular, the term denoted the enclosure surrounding a village as a defense against marauding animals and strangers, and in some cases the name may have been topographic for someone who lived by such a fence.
GIVEN NAMES: German 4%. Alois, Fritz, Otto.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
