2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nahrstedt
A place surname referring to someone from a town or village called Nahrstedt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Nahrstedt. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nahrstedt 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Nahrstedt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nahrstedt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nahrstedt
The surname Nahrstedt is of German origin, originating from the northern regions of Germany during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "nara," meaning "narrow," and "stedt," referring to a place or town. This suggests the name may have originally denoted someone who resided in or was associated with a narrow or confined town or settlement.
One of the earliest records of the name Nahrstedt can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Archiv (German Family Names Archive), which dates back to the 14th century. The name appears in various historical documents and manuscripts from the regions of Saxony and Pomerania, indicating its widespread use in these areas during the Middle Ages.
The town of Nahrstedt, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, is believed to be the place of origin for the surname. This town was first mentioned in historical records in the year 1290, with the name likely referring to its narrow or confined geographic location.
Notable individuals with the surname Nahrstedt include:
1. Johann Nahrstedt (1569-1637), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
2. Wilhelm Nahrstedt (1821-1892), a German architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the late 19th century.
3. Klara Nahrstedt (1855-1928), a German writer and feminist activist who campaigned for women's suffrage and equal rights.
4. Hans Nahrstedt (1892-1966), a German military officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Iron Cross for his service.
5. Birgit Nahrstedt (born 1962), a German computer scientist and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, known for her research in multimedia networking and quality of service.
The surname Nahrstedt has been carried across various regions of Germany throughout history, with its origins deeply rooted in the northern German territories. While its exact derivation may be subject to interpretation, the name's longevity and its presence in historical records spanning several centuries attest to its enduring significance within German culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nahrstedt
Among Census respondents with the surname Nahrstedt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nahrstedt 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 Nahrstedt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nahrstedt
Nahrstedt appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,228 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 18,228 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 10,287 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 Nahrstedt 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 | #156,044 | #145,757 | 6.6% |
| Count | 104 | 115 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nahrstedt bearers went from 104 to 115 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 10,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,757.
FAQ
Nahrstedt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nahrstedt?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Nahrstedt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Nahrstedt?
Nahrstedt ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Nahrstedt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Nahrstedt.
Has Nahrstedt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nahrstedt went from 104 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 11 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Nahrstedt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nahrstedt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Nahrstedt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nahrstedt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Nahrstedt (2000, 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 Nahrstedt mean?
A place surname referring to someone from a town or village called Nahrstedt. 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 Nahrstedt (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 last name Nahrstedt?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Nahrstedt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.