Nemesis
A wrathful agent or force of divine punishment and vengeance.
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the first name Nemesis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nemesis today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nemesis births was 1996 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nemesis. 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
162
~ 1 in 2,115,768 Americans
Peak year
1996
14 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,654
Tracked since 1979
Census
Nemesis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 298 people with the first name Nemesis, which placed it at #29,601 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#29,601
National first-name rank
People counted
298
298 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
89.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nemesis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nemesis is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nemesis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nemesis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 267
- White4.7% · 14
- Black or African American2.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
- Two or more races1.0% · 3
Popularity
Nemesis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nemesis from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 85 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
Nemesis 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 Nemesis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nemesis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nemesis
The name Nemesis originates from the ancient Greek language and mythology. It is derived from the Greek word "nemein," which means "to give what is due." The name refers to the Greek goddess of retribution, who was responsible for enacting justice and punishing those who exhibited excessive pride or arrogance.
In Greek mythology, Nemesis was often depicted as a winged goddess carrying a whip and a measuring rod. She was revered as the personification of divine retribution, ensuring that no mortal could escape the consequences of their actions, especially those who displayed hubris or excessive pride.
The earliest known reference to the name Nemesis can be found in the works of ancient Greek poets and playwrights, such as Hesiod and Aeschylus, who lived in the 8th and 5th centuries BCE, respectively. These writers often described Nemesis as an embodiment of divine justice, striking down those who transgressed against the gods or violated the natural order.
One of the earliest recorded historical figures to bear the name Nemesis was Nemesis of Ramnus, a priestess of the goddess Nemesis who lived in the 5th century BCE. She was renowned for her beauty and virtue, and her temple in Ramnus, Attica, became a popular pilgrimage site for those seeking divine justice.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Nemesis. One example is Nemesis Prudentia Aristeia (c. 290 CE), a Roman empress and the second wife of Emperor Diocletian. Her name was a direct reference to the Greek goddess, reflecting her role as the embodiment of divine justice and retribution within the Roman imperial court.
Another prominent figure was Nemesis of Trier (c. 320 CE), a Christian martyr and saint who was executed for her faith during the Roman persecutions of Christians. Her name, Nemesis, was likely chosen as a symbol of divine retribution against those who persecuted her.
In the 16th century, Nemesis Lessini (1510-1593) was an Italian painter and sculptor from Verona, known for her artistic depictions of mythological and religious themes, including the goddess Nemesis.
During the Renaissance period, Nemesis Orsini-Sforza (1536-1595) was an Italian noblewoman and the wife of Giovanni Battista Orsini, Count of Nola. Her name reflected the influence of classical Greek culture on Renaissance-era Italy.
It is important to note that while the name Nemesis has been used throughout history, its prevalence has been relatively limited due to its strong association with the Greek goddess of retribution. The name has often been chosen to symbolize divine justice, retribution, or the consequences of excessive pride and arrogance.
People
Nemesis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nemesis 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
Nemesis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nemesis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nemesis 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 2,115,768 US residents.
Is Nemesis a common name?
We classify Nemesis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nemesis most popular?
The single biggest year for Nemesis was 1996, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nemesis is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nemesis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 298 people with the name Nemesis, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,601 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nemesis in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nemesis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nemesis leans strongly female. 275 people counted with this name were female (90.8%), compared with 28 male bearers (9.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nemesis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nemesis is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nemesis most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Nemesis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (267 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nemesis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nemesis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nemesis in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Nemesis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nemesis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nemesis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many Americans are named Nemesis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.