2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Nazi
A Germanic surname denoting a person from a specific location or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Nazi. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nazi 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Nazi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nazi, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nazi
The surname "NAZI" has its origins in the Middle High German word "Nazi" which means "insolent person" or "awkward person". This term was originally used as a derogatory term to describe individuals who displayed rude or uncouth behavior.
The earliest known records of the surname date back to the 14th century in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families who had a member known for their impertinent or boorish behavior, as a way to distinguish their lineage.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in a German manuscript from 1365, which mentions a "Hans Nazi" from the town of Nuremberg. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname by the mid-14th century.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in several records from the town of Landshut in Bavaria, including mentions of a "Peter Nazi" in a tax register from 1542, and a "Katharina Nazi" in a church record from 1587.
A notable historical figure with the surname was Johann Nazi, a Lutheran theologian and scholar who lived from 1534 to 1613. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg and was known for his contributions to the study of biblical exegesis.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Nazi, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1658 to 1717. He is renowned for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and galleries throughout Germany.
In the 18th century, the surname appears in records from the region of Saxony, with a "Johann Georg Nazi" listed in a birth register from 1753 in the town of Leipzig.
One of the earliest known instances of the name in the United States dates back to the late 18th century, with a "Johann Nazi" recorded as arriving in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1785.
It is important to note that while the surname "NAZI" has a long and distinct history, its use as a term for the political ideology and movement of National Socialism in the 20th century has overshadowed its original meaning and connotations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nazi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nazi, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nazi 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 Nazi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 10
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
- Black or African American4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nazi
Nazi 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+14 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 14,480 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 Nazi 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 | #160,975 | #146,495 | 9.0% |
| Count | 100 | 114 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nazi bearers went from 100 to 114 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 14,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #146,495.
FAQ
Nazi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nazi?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Nazi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Nazi?
Nazi ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Nazi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Nazi.
Has Nazi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nazi went from 100 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 14 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Nazi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nazi, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.8%). 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 Nazi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nazi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%), Two or More Races (8.8%). 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 Nazi (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 Nazi mean?
A Germanic surname denoting a person from a specific location or region. 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 Nazi (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 share the surname Nazi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.