Find out how popular the last name Nahm is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nahm.

Nahm, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nahm surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nahm in America

Nahm is the 48901st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nahm surname appeared 431 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nahm.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nahm to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nahm

The surname NAHM has its origins in the German language and is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the state of Bavaria, during the medieval period.

The name NAHM is thought to be derived from the Old German word "nahmen," which means "to take" or "to seize." It is believed that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were known for their ability to take or seize land or property, either through military conquest or legal means.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NAHM can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, which dates back to the 12th century. In this document, a person named "Henricus Nahm" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

In the 14th century, the name NAHM appeared in the Nuremberg Burgerbuch, a register of citizens in the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent trading center in the Holy Roman Empire. This suggests that individuals bearing the name NAHM may have been involved in commerce or trade during that time period.

Notable individuals with the surname NAHM throughout history include:

1. Johann Peter Nahm (1601-1663), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Saxe-Weimar.

2. Friedrich Nahm (1758-1836), a German military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later wrote memoirs detailing his experiences.

3. Anna Maria Nahm (1785-1857), a German painter known for her portraits and religious works, many of which were commissioned by churches and aristocratic patrons.

4. Karl Nahm (1809-1878), a German philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Leipzig and wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy.

5. Wilhelm Nahm (1864-1939), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Anhalter Bahnhof train station.

While the name NAHM may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and other European countries, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nahm

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nahm.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nahm was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nahm has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nahm was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nahm, please contact us.

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