2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nedelman
Of Yiddish origin, a habitational name for someone from a place called Nedele.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Nedelman. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nedelman 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Nedelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nedelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nedelman
The surname NEDELMAN is of Eastern European origin, specifically from the regions of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "nedel," which means "week" or "Sunday." This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone who worked or performed a specific task on Sundays or during the week.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NEDELMAN surname can be found in the 16th-century archives of the Polish city of Krakow, where a merchant named Jakub NEDELMAN is mentioned in a trade document dated 1572. This suggests that the name had already been established in this region by that time.
In the late 17th century, the NEDELMAN name appeared in the records of the Jewish community of Berdychiv, Ukraine. A rabbi named Shmuel NEDELMAN is listed as a respected scholar and teacher in the city's synagogue records from the year 1682.
During the 18th century, the NEDELMAN surname began to spread across Eastern Europe as families migrated to other regions. Notable individuals from this period include Leib NEDELMAN, a prominent businessman from Lviv, Ukraine, who was born in 1745 and established a successful trading company.
As the 19th century dawned, the NEDELMAN name continued to gain prominence. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Yakov NEDELMAN, a Russian-born writer and journalist who lived from 1828 to 1904. His works, which focused on social and political issues of the time, were widely read and influential.
Another notable NEDELMAN from the 19th century was Sarah NEDELMAN, a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for Jewish girls in Warsaw, Poland, in the 1870s. Her efforts helped pave the way for greater educational opportunities for women in Eastern Europe.
In the 20th century, the NEDELMAN surname continued to be carried by individuals across various fields. One such person was Isaak NEDELMAN, a Russian-born physicist who made significant contributions to the study of quantum mechanics and was born in 1912.
As the NEDELMAN name has spread across the globe in modern times, it has maintained its Eastern European roots and rich history, reflecting the diverse cultural and historical influences that have shaped its development over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nedelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Nedelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Nedelman 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 Nedelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nedelman
Nedelman 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,426 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,426 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,582 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 Nedelman 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 | #132,206 | #142,788 | -8.0% |
| Count | 128 | 119 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nedelman bearers went from 128 to 119 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,788.
FAQ
Nedelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nedelman?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Nedelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Nedelman?
Nedelman ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Nedelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Nedelman.
Has Nedelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nedelman went from 128 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Nedelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nedelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Nedelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nedelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Nedelman (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 Nedelman mean?
Of Yiddish origin, a habitational name for someone from a place called Nedele. 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 Nedelman (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 Nedelman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.