Fascinating Zorn info

Meaning

The meaning of Zorn in the modern German language means wrath but its meaning in old Germanic is more to "tear apart" or destroy. It is probable that the family gained/took this name as a result of wanting to invoke respect among competing families. During the medieval time it was important to invoke respect among other families of importance and families often took names that ascribed them with certain qualities of character.

Zorn census

Austria

In Austria, 1000 people are estimated to have the family name of Zorn and it reaches the 997th place of most common family names. Many Zorns lives in the Innsbruck area but the highest density of Zorn occurs in Kirchdorf an der Krems. According to one of our sources the Zorns in Kirchdorf and der Krems are said to be living in the same part of the town where many work as craftsman and storekeepers

Germany

Germany is the country where most Zorns live and was estimated to 8016 people. Zorn is a relatively common last name in Germany reaching a position of 979. Taking a closer look on the map below you will see that the Zorn family name is relatively dispersed throughout the country, however the regions of Thuringia, Rheinland-Palatine and the northern border regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg  has a high concentration of the family name.

Source: http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/v3/

USA

The US has an estimated population of 3000 Zorns. It is the 7705th most usual family name.

Source: http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/namesearch.html

No of Zorns in the world through our highly unscientifical study through the worlds phonebooks (expect at least twice as many in each country):

Australia 25
Belgium 25
Brazil 45
Canada 188
Croatia 5
Denmark 20
France 170
Italy 32
Netherlands 86
New Zealand 8
Sweden 25
Switzerland 36
UK 52

Books & Documents

Eberhard Zorn - "The Zorn families in German speaking countries and abroad"

Eberhard Zorn wrote a very detailed book about the Zorn family in the 1970´s. It was written in German and is by far the most comprehensive book about the Zorn family and its history. Its English title is "The Zorn families in German speaking countries and abroad". Zorn Book

Zorn von Bulach Archive

Contains historical records regarding the family Zorn von Bulach dating from 1341-1785 (in French).

Zorn von Bulach archive.JPG

Geography

Zorn River

This is perhaps the most famous geographical landmark named Zorn and is a river that flows through the province of Alsace. Until the 1800´s it was called Sorne which is of Celtic origin and means "flowing". It is unknown why the river changed name to Zorn.

The river of Zorn has its springs in the province of Lothringen and is formed by two spring rivers called the yellow and white Zorn. Its length is about 102 km and the drainage area is 757 km2. It flows mostly through Alsace before joining the River of Lauf der Moder and finally merging into the River of Rhein.

Neuenbürg

Neuenbürg is a village located in the region of Kraichgau in Germany. Perhaps this is one of the most densely populated communities where almost half of the population is said to be carrying the family name  Zorn.   

Zorn, Texas, USA

The place of Zorn in Texas is located on State Highway 123 thirteen miles north of Seguin in northern Guadalupe County. It was named after Joseph Zorn, who had a store there in the 1850s. A post office opened in 1891. By 1896 Zorn had two gristmills, a general store, and 150 residents. The population fell to 100 in 1933, to ninety-six in 1968, and to twenty-six in 1990.

Zorn, Hessen, Germany

The village Zorn in Hessen was founded as early as 1194 and has today 482 inhabitants.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorn_%28Taunus%29

Zorneding, Bavaria, Germany

Zorneding is a small town in Bavaria with 8592 inhabitants and was founded the 4th of September 813. It is located 20 km southeast of Munich.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorneding

Zornheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

The earliest recordings of Zornheim is from 771 and it has 3645 inhabitants. From an early age its history is interwoven with the "Klara monestary". It is beautifully located in a wine growing area.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zornheim

Zornplaces in the US

Zornroads in the US

Brownsboro - Zorn



Brownsboro-Zorn
is a neighborhood in northeast Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Its boundaries are Brownsboro Road to the south, Birchwood Avenue to the west, Mellwood Avenue to the north, and Mockingbird Valley to the east. Residential development began in 1911 between Birchwood and Zorn Avenue, a wide street which bisects the neighborhood. The core of the neighborhood is residential, but there is substantial commerce along Brownsboro Road. The Veterans Affair Medical Center is located along Zorn.

As of 2000, the population of Brownsboro-Zorn was 2,232, of which 88.9% is white, 9.7% is black, 1.2% is listed as other, & 0.3% is Hispanic. College graduates are 51.5% of the population, people w/o a high school degree are 9.0%. Females outnumber males 53.6% to 46.4%.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownsboro-Zorn,_Louisville

Buildings

Chapel Zorn

The old medieval church of Saint Pierre La Jeune in Strasbourg contains a chapel called Zorn. It was completed in 1320 and is decorated with several scenes from the bible, including Matthew chapter 14, Adam and Eve taking the forbidden fruit, two women pouring water in a jar as an allegory of the rivers of paradise and much more. It also contains a large tombstone dedicated to Adam Zorn (died 1519) and who was mayor of Strasbourg 11 times since 1478. The photo above is from the vault and represents the disciples of Jesus on a lake and is inspired by a decoration by Giotti in the basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. 

Source: http://www.saintpierrelejeune.org/La-chapelle-des-Zorn_a22.html


Zorn Residence
 

A few photos of the Zorn Residence in Chicago. It is located in a residential area of northern Chicago and was constructed in 1995 by the architects Krueck & Sexton

Plants - Zornia

This plant family was named after the Kemptner pharmacist Johannes Zorn. It is a herb that belongs to the legume family "Fabaceae". Zornia bracteata is the most common Zornia plant in the US and is native in the south eastern parts.

Source: http://www.calflora.net/southafrica/plantnames.html
 

Zorn castles and forts

Members of the Zorn family controlled and influenced several forts and castles, most of them located in the province of Alsace. Many of them are in ruins today. A few of these were: Bilstein, Bläsheim, Dambach, Eckerich, Erstein, Groll bei Durbach, Geroldsed, Maursmünster, Hüttenheim, Kolbsheim, Ortenburg, Osthausen, Ramstein, Schiltigheim, Weihersburg bei Keftenholz.

 

Burg Wineck/Dambach	Burg Eckerich	Burg Geroldseck
Burg Ortenburg	Burg Ramstein

Osthausen Castle owned by the Zorn von Bulach

This castle has been in the possession of the family Zorn von Bulach for several centuries and is situated in Alsace, France.

Burial monument of Hugo Zorn von Bulach (1321)

The burial monument of Hugo Zorn von Bulach has since 1993 been exhibited at the Musée de l'oeuvre Notre Dame in Strasbourg. It was originally placed in the Zorn chapel in the church of Saint Pierre la Jeune between 1321-1900. From 1900 until 1993 it was located at the Castle of Osthausen. At the top of the monument is a sculpture of Hugo Zon von Bulach.