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

Nahmias, 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 Nahmias surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nahmias in America

Nahmias is the 57914th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nahmias surname appeared 351 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 Nahmias.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nahmias 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 Nahmias

The surname Nahmias is of Jewish origin, specifically from the Sephardic Jewish community of Spain and Portugal. It emerged during the medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century, in the Iberian Peninsula.

The name is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "nehmad," which means "pleasant" or "delightful." It was likely given as a descriptive nickname or as a symbolic name to a person with a pleasant or delightful personality or appearance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nahmias can be found in the historical records of the Spanish Inquisition, which persecuted and expelled Jews from Spain in the late 15th century. Many Sephardic Jews fled to other parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Ottoman Empire, carrying their surnames with them.

In the 16th century, the Nahmias family can be traced to the city of Livorno, Italy, where they were among the early Jewish settlers. A notable member of this family was Rabbi Isaac Nahmias, a prominent scholar and kabbalist who lived in Livorno in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Another early record of the name Nahmias comes from the island of Rhodes, where a Jewish community existed since the medieval period. In the 16th century, a man named Abraham Nahmias is mentioned in historical documents as a prominent member of the Jewish community on the island.

As the Sephardic Jewish diaspora spread across the Mediterranean and beyond, the Nahmias surname can be found in various regions, including Turkey, Greece, Morocco, and parts of the Middle East.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Nahmias was Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885), a British financier and philanthropist who played a significant role in supporting Jewish communities worldwide. Although his surname was Montefiore, his mother's maiden name was Nahmias.

Other notable individuals with the Nahmias surname include Joseph Nahmias (1692-1790), a prominent Rabbi in Jerusalem, and Abraham Nahmias (1573-1650), a scholar and poet who lived in Fez, Morocco.

Overall, the surname Nahmias has a rich history rooted in the Sephardic Jewish diaspora, with its origins likely stemming from medieval Spain and Portugal. It has been carried by scholars, rabbis, and prominent individuals throughout the centuries, reflecting the resilience and dispersal of the Sephardic Jewish community across the globe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nahmias

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

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 Nahmias 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 Nahmias 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 Nahmias was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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