Neiman
A masculine name of German origin meaning "bright man".
Name Census estimates that about 317 living Americans carry the first name Neiman. It is a predominantly male name (98.5% of registrations). The average person named Neiman today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Neiman births was 1992 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Neiman. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
317
~ 1 in 1,081,244 Americans
Peak year
1992
24 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2020 SSA rank
#8,520
Tracked since 1979
Gender
Gender distribution for Neiman
Neiman leans heavily male at 98.5% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Neiman as a male name
- Ranked #8,520 in 2020
- 9 male births in 2020
- Peak: 1996 (20 births)
Neiman as a female name
- Ranked #14,819 in 1992
- 5 female births in 1992
- Peak: 1992 (5 births)
Popularity
Neiman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Neiman from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 130 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Neiman by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Neiman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Neimans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Neiman
The name Neiman has its roots in the Germanic languages, specifically from the Old German word "niu" meaning "new" and "man" meaning "person." It originated as a descriptive name, likely referring to a new arrival or someone who had recently joined a community. The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 9th century in central Europe.
In the Middle Ages, the name Neiman was relatively common among the Germanic peoples, particularly in regions that are now part of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It appeared in various historical records and documents from that time, including town registers and church records.
One notable historical figure with the name Neiman was Neiman von Heilbronn, a 13th-century German architect and stonemason. He is credited with the design and construction of several significant Gothic cathedrals and churches in Germany, including the Heilbronn Minster and the Ulm Minster.
In the 16th century, a German theologian and reformer named Neiman Grüninger played a role in the Protestant Reformation. He was born in 1499 and is known for his efforts in printing and distributing reformist literature, including works by Martin Luther.
Another historically significant individual with the name Neiman was Neiman Göttfried, an 18th-century German philosopher and mathematician. Born in 1710, he made contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics, and his work influenced the development of modern symbolic logic.
In the realm of literature, Neiman Keller was a 19th-century Swiss author and poet. Born in 1825, he is best known for his poetic works that celebrated the beauty of the Swiss Alps and captured the essence of rural life in that region.
Neiman Feldhahn, a German-born American businessman and philanthropist, lived from 1866 to 1938. He founded the Feldhahn Department Store chain and was also a prominent figure in various charitable organizations, supporting educational initiatives and cultural institutions.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Neiman, illustrating its presence and significance across various fields and time periods, primarily within the Germanic cultural sphere.
People
Neiman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Neiman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Neiman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neiman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 317 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Neiman going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,081,244 US residents.
Is Neiman a common name?
We classify Neiman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 325 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Neiman most popular?
The single biggest year for Neiman was 1992, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Neiman is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Neiman a male name?
Yes, 98.5% of people registered as Neiman in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.