Niem
Diminutive of Niemowa meaning "mute" or "unable to speak" in Polish.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Niem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Niem today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niem births was 2021 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niem. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Niem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
2021
8 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2021 SSA rank
#9,433
Tracked since 1994
Census
Niem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 254 people with the first name Niem, which placed it at #32,878 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
#32,878
National first-name rank
People counted
254
254 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
75.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niem is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and White (2.8%). 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 Niem 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 Niem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander75.6% · 192
- Black or African American17.3% · 44
- White2.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 5
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
Popularity
Niem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Niem from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 8 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Niem 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 Niem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Niem
The name Niem has its origins rooted in the ancient Vietnamese language. It is believed to have emerged around the 3rd century CE during the early stages of Vietnamese civilization. The name is derived from the Old Vietnamese word "niem," which translates to "wish" or "desire." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals with aspirations or those born during a time of hope and longing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Niem can be found in the annals of the Ly Dynasty, which ruled over Vietnam from 1009 to 1225 CE. The name appears in historical records from this period, indicating its usage among the aristocratic and scholarly classes of the time.
During the 13th century, a prominent Vietnamese scholar and poet named Niem Viet Vu gained recognition for his literary contributions. His works, which explored themes of nature and human emotion, are still studied and celebrated in Vietnamese literature today. Niem Viet Vu's birth and death dates are uncertain, but he is believed to have lived during the latter half of the Tran Dynasty, which ruled from 1225 to 1400 CE.
In the 15th century, a revered Buddhist monk named Niem Thanh Tam made significant contributions to the spread of Buddhism in Vietnam. His teachings and writings on mindfulness and spiritual enlightenment had a lasting impact on Vietnamese Buddhist traditions. Niem Thanh Tam is believed to have lived from 1420 to 1498 CE.
During the 17th century, a renowned Vietnamese warrior and military strategist named Niem Quang Hai played a pivotal role in defending the nation against foreign invaders. His tactical brilliance and leadership during the Tay Son Uprising of 1771-1802 earned him a place in Vietnamese history. Niem Quang Hai's exact birth and death dates are uncertain, but he is estimated to have lived from the mid-17th to the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent Vietnamese scholar and educator named Niem Tong Bat gained recognition for his efforts in promoting education and literacy among the common people. He established numerous schools and advocated for the spread of knowledge beyond the elite classes. Niem Tong Bat lived from 1810 to 1879.
Throughout its history, the name Niem has maintained a connection to Vietnamese culture and language. While its usage may have fluctuated over time, it remains a distinctive Vietnamese name with deep roots in the country's history and traditions.
People
Niem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niem 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
Niem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niem 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Niem a common name?
We classify Niem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Niem most popular?
The single biggest year for Niem was 2021, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niem is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Niem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 254 people with the name Niem, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,878 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 Niem 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 Niem?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Niem on both sides of the split. Of the 254 people counted with this name, 156 were male (61.4%) and 98 were female (38.6%). 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 Niem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Niem is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and White (2.8%). 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 Niem most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Niem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (192 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 Niem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niem 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.
Is Niem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niem 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 Niem 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 people are called Niem?
You can see how many Americans are named Niem on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.