2000
#6,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.91
Rare Last name
Neese
Derived from a shortened form of the medieval given name "Agnes," which means "pure" or "chaste" in Greek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,470 Americans carry the last name Neese. That puts it at #6,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neese 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
5.5K
1 in 62,661
Census rank
#6,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,770 bearers of the surname Neese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neese
The surname "Neese" is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "nessa," which means "moisture" or "wetland." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a marshy or damp area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Neckarsulm, in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg. The document mentions a certain "Hans Nesse," which is likely an earlier spelling variation of the name.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Bregenz Municipal Archives, located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. A document from the late 15th century mentions a "Peter Neess," indicating that the name had spread to other parts of the German-speaking regions by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have made its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One notable individual bearing this surname was Jan Neese, a Dutch painter who lived from 1568 to 1628 and was known for his depictions of still lifes and floral arrangements.
In England, the earliest recorded instance of the name seems to be that of a certain William Neese, who was born in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1612. Interestingly, this coincides with the lifetime of William Shakespeare, who was born in the same town just a few years earlier.
As the name spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Neess, Nees, Ness, and Niess. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Johann Neese (1770-1845), a German mathematician and astronomer.
2. Friedrich Neese (1784-1867), a German philologist and classical scholar.
3. Johann Neese (1801-1876), a German composer and organist.
4. Carl Neese (1865-1940), a German painter and illustrator.
5. Wilhelm Neese (1880-1965), a German architect and urban planner.
While the surname "Neese" may not be as common as some others, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in medieval Germany. The name's connection to the natural environment and its various spelling variations across different regions and time periods make it a fascinating subject for onomastic study.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neese
Among Census respondents with the surname Neese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Neese 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 Neese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 4,312
- Two or more races3.5% · 169
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 144
- Black or African American1.4% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neese
Neese 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
#6,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,335
+179 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#6,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,770
-565 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,126 | 5,156 | 1.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,379 | 5,335 | 1.81 | +179 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #6,803 | 4,770 | 1.60 | -565 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 424 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 Neese 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 | #6,379 | #6,803 | -6.6% |
| Count | 5,335 | 4,770 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.60 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neese bearers went from 5,335 to 4,770 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 424 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,379 to #6,803.
FAQ
Neese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neese?
Name Census estimates that about 5,470 living Americans carry the surname Neese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,661 residents.
How common is Neese?
Neese ranks #6,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,770 people with the surname Neese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,470), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Neese.
Has Neese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neese went from 5,335 recorded bearers to 4,770. That is a decrease of 565 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,379 to #6,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Neese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) 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 Neese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,312 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%), 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 Neese (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 Neese mean?
Derived from a shortened form of the medieval given name "Agnes," which means "pure" or "chaste" in Greek. 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 Neese (1.60 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 Neese?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.