Find out how popular the last name Neher is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Neher.

Neher, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Neher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neher in America

Neher is the 14201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neher surname appeared 2,114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Neher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neher to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Neher

The surname Neher is believed to have originated in Germany. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "naher," meaning "nearer" or "closer." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational or locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a particular landmark or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neher can be found in the medieval Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a 9th-century cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in Westphalia, Germany. This document mentions a person named "Neherus," which is believed to be an early variation of the surname Neher.

In the 14th century, a man named Johannes Neher is mentioned in the records of the town of Fritzlar, located in the German state of Hesse. This suggests that the name was already well-established in various regions of Germany by that time.

During the 16th century, a notable figure named Balthasar Neher (1535-1590) was a German Protestant theologian and writer from Nuremberg. He authored several works on religious topics and was involved in the religious debates of the Reformation era.

Another individual of note was Johann Balthasar Neher (1660-1737), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg. He is particularly known for his landscape paintings and etchings, which were highly regarded during his lifetime.

In the 18th century, Johann Samuel Neher (1730-1801) was a German composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishops of Bamberg. He composed numerous works for the organ and other instruments.

Moving into the 19th century, Carl Neher (1824-1882) was a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Stuttgart, including the Stiftskirche and the Liederhalle concert hall.

Throughout its history, the surname Neher has also been associated with various place names and settlements in Germany, such as Nehren, a town in Baden-Württemberg, and Neher, a village in the Rhineland-Palatinate region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neher

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Neher.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Neher was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Neher has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Neher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Neher, please contact us.

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