2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nahoum
A French surname derived from the Hebrew given name meaning "consolation".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Nahoum. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nahoum surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Nahoum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nahoum, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nahoum
The surname NAHOUM is of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name "Nahum" which means "comforter" or "consoler" in Hebrew. This name has its roots in the ancient Middle Eastern regions of modern-day Israel and surrounding areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname NAHOUM can be traced back to Jewish communities in the Middle East, particularly in regions like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Some historical records indicate that the name was prevalent among Jewish families in these areas as early as the 9th century AD.
One notable figure bearing the surname NAHOUM was Rabbi Yitzchak Nahoum, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Egypt during the 12th century. He authored several significant works on Jewish law and philosophy, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another notable individual was David Nahoum, a Jewish merchant and philanthropist from Baghdad, Iraq, who lived in the 18th century. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes and fostering economic growth in the region, while also supporting various charitable causes within the Jewish community.
In the 19th century, the surname NAHOUM gained prominence in the Ottoman Empire, particularly among Sephardic Jewish communities in areas such as Turkey and Greece. One notable figure from this period was Isaac Nahoum, a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Istanbul, who played a significant role in the development of the city's Jewish community.
The NAHOUM surname also found its way to other parts of the world, carried by Jewish emigrants fleeing persecution or seeking better opportunities. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals bearing this surname settled in countries like France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
One notable example from this period is Salomon Nahoum, a French painter and illustrator born in 1858, known for his vibrant depictions of Parisian life and landscapes. Another prominent figure was Sir Isaac Nahoum, a British businessman and philanthropist born in 1865, who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations in the UK.
Over the centuries, the surname NAHOUM has been associated with various professions, from scholars and merchants to artists and philanthropists, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nahoum
Among Census respondents with the surname Nahoum, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nahoum bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nahoum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino20.8% · 22
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nahoum
Nahoum appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,119 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nahoum surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #152,339 | -4.9% |
| Count | 114 | 106 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nahoum bearers went from 114 to 106 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,339.
FAQ
Nahoum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nahoum?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Nahoum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Nahoum?
Nahoum ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Nahoum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nahoum.
Has Nahoum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nahoum went from 114 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Nahoum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nahoum, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Black (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nahoum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nahoum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Hispanic (20.8%), Black (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nahoum (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nahoum mean?
A French surname derived from the Hebrew given name meaning "consolation". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nahoum (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Nahoum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.