Zakko took its name from the groups of the same name under the ritsuryo system of Tang Dynasty, although they were not included in senmin (one of the two main castes of the ritsuryo system, meaning humble or lowly people) class, unlike in the Tang Dynasty.
名称は唐の律令制にある同名の制度に由来されるが、唐のように賎民身分とはされていない。