2000
#13,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,090
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Nease
Derived from the Old English word "næss," referring to someone who lived near a headland or promontory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,295 Americans carry the last name Nease. That puts it at #14,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nease 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
2.3K
1 in 149,348
Census rank
#14,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,001 bearers of the surname Nease in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nease, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nease
The surname Nease is believed to have originated in Germany and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is thought to be a variant of the German word "Neisse," which refers to the Neisse River that flows through parts of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
One of the earliest known records of the Nease surname can be found in the town of Silesia, located in present-day Poland. In 1524, a man named Hans Nease was listed in the town's tax records, indicating that the family had already established roots in the region.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Nease name appeared in various historical documents across Germany and neighboring areas. In 1612, a man named Johann Nease was recorded as a landowner in the town of Freiburg, while a merchant by the name of Wilhelm Nease was mentioned in a trade register in Hamburg in 1671.
The name Nease is also linked to several place names in Germany, such as the town of Neisse in Saxony, which was once known as Nease in its older spelling. This connection suggests that the surname may have originated from people who lived in or near these locations.
One notable figure in history with the Nease surname was Johann Friedrich Nease, a German philosopher and theologian born in 1728 in Saxony. He was known for his work in ethics and moral philosophy and was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement.
Another individual of note was Johann Gottfried Nease, a German composer and organist born in 1761 in Schlitz, Hesse. He composed several works for church choirs and is remembered for his contributions to the development of sacred music in Germany.
In the 19th century, a man named Karl Nease (1825-1898) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Konzerthaus and the Reichstaggebäude (Imperial Diet Building).
The Nease surname also found its way to the United States, where one of the earliest recorded instances was that of Johann Nease, who emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country.
One notable American with the Nease surname was Samuel Nease (1848-1926), a businessman and philanthropist from Pennsylvania. He made his fortune in the coal and iron industries and later donated a significant portion of his wealth to educational institutions and charitable causes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nease
Among Census respondents with the surname Nease, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nease 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 Nease surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,817
- Two or more races4.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nease
Nease 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
#13,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,259
+169 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#14,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,001
-258 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,367 | 2,090 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,472 | 2,259 | 0.77 | +169 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #14,387 | 2,001 | 0.67 | -258 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 915 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 Nease 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 | #13,472 | #14,387 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,259 | 2,001 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.67 | -13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nease bearers went from 2,259 to 2,001 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 915 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,472 to #14,387.
FAQ
Nease surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nease?
Name Census estimates that about 2,295 living Americans carry the surname Nease. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,348 residents.
How common is Nease?
Nease ranks #14,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,001 people with the surname Nease. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nease.
Has Nease become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nease went from 2,259 recorded bearers to 2,001. That is a decrease of 258 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,472 to #14,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Nease?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nease, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Nease in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,817 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nease appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Nease (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 Nease mean?
Derived from the Old English word "næss," referring to someone who lived near a headland or promontory. 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 Nease (0.67 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 Nease?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.