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

Nau, 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 Nau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nau in America

Nau is the 10603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nau surname appeared 3,020 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nau 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 Nau

The surname NAU originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, likely derived from the Old German word "nau," which means "narrow" or "tight." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a narrow valley or a constricted area.

NAU is recorded in various medieval documents, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of charters and legal documents from the region of Saxony dating back to the 10th century. This early mention indicates that the name was already established by that time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname NAU was Johann Nau, a scholar and theologian born in Meiningen, Germany, around 1480. He studied at the University of Erfurt and later became a professor of theology and rector at the same institution.

In the 16th century, the name NAU appeared in records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. Among the notable individuals from this period was Hans Nau, a successful merchant and alderman who lived in the mid-1500s.

The surname NAU also has a connection to the Domesday Book, a record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the name itself does not appear in the Domesday Book, there are references to places with similar-sounding names, such as "Nau" and "Nauenby," which may have been derived from the same Old German root.

In the 17th century, Johann Nau, a German composer and organist, gained recognition for his contributions to sacred music. Born in Esslingen am Neckar in 1637, he served as the organist at the Collegiate Church in Stuttgart and composed numerous works for organ and choir.

Another notable individual with the surname NAU was Johann August Nau, a German theologian and philosopher born in Halle in 1710. He studied at the University of Halle and later became a professor of philosophy and theology at the same institution.

In the 19th century, the name NAU was associated with Friedrich Nau, a German philologist and Orientalist born in Giessen in 1858. He made significant contributions to the study of Syriac literature and published numerous works on the subject.

The surname NAU has also been connected to place names in various regions, such as Nau-Richt in Saxony, Germany, and Nau in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. These place names may have influenced the spread and distribution of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nau

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

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

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

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