2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Neffendorf
A habitational surname derived from a placename, likely in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Neffendorf. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neffendorf 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Neffendorf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neffendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neffendorf
The surname NEFFENDORF is of German origin, and its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from a place called Neffendorf, likely a small village or town in Germany.
The name NEFFENDORF is believed to have originated from the Old German words "nevo" and "dorf," meaning "nephew" and "village" respectively. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in the village of their uncle or nephew.
Historical records indicate that the name NEFFENDORF first appeared in the 13th century. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Weissenburger Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the Weissenburg Abbey in present-day Alsace, France, dating back to 1265.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name NEFFENDORF was Johann von Neffendorf, a German knight who served under Emperor Charles IV. He was born around 1320 and died in 1387.
Another significant individual with the surname NEFFENDORF was Hans Neffendorf, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was born in 1428 and is known for his contributions to the reformation movement in Germany.
In the 16th century, the name NEFFENDORF appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family with this surname resided. One member of this family was Peter Neffendorf, a merchant who lived from 1532 to 1598.
The surname NEFFENDORF also has ties to the town of Neffendorf in the Harz region of Germany. This town was first mentioned in historical documents in the 11th century, and it is possible that the surname originated from this location.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name NEFFENDORF has remained relatively consistent, with minor variations such as Neffendorff or Nefendorf appearing in some historical records. However, the core elements of the name have persisted, reflecting its locational origins and the potential connection to familial relationships in its meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neffendorf
Among Census respondents with the surname Neffendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Neffendorf 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 Neffendorf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 105
- Two or more races7.4% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neffendorf
Neffendorf 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 791 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 791 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 3,911 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 Neffendorf 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 | #145,220 | #141,309 | 2.7% |
| Count | 114 | 121 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neffendorf bearers went from 114 to 121 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 3,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #141,309.
FAQ
Neffendorf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neffendorf?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Neffendorf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Neffendorf?
Neffendorf ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Neffendorf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Neffendorf.
Has Neffendorf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neffendorf went from 114 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 7 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Neffendorf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neffendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Neffendorf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neffendorf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (7.4%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Neffendorf (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 Neffendorf mean?
A habitational surname derived from a placename, likely in Germany. 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 Neffendorf (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 common is the surname Neffendorf?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Neffendorf on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.