2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nehrig
A surname of German origin meaning "near the hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Nehrig. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nehrig 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Nehrig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nehrig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nehrig
The surname "NEHRIG" is of German origin, first appearing in records from the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Neher," which means "seamstress" or "tailor." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a tailor or in a related profession.
The earliest known records of the name "NEHRIG" can be found in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia. It is possible that the name may have derived from a place name, as many German surnames have their roots in the names of towns or villages. However, there is no definitive evidence of a specific place from which the name originated.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "NEHRIG" was Hans Nehrig, a tailor who lived in the town of Zwickau, Saxony, in the late 16th century. His name is mentioned in the town's records from the year 1587.
In the 17th century, the name "NEHRIG" appeared in various church records and tax rolls throughout Saxony and Thuringia. Johann Nehrig, born in 1632 in Erfurt, Thuringia, was a notable figure who served as a Lutheran pastor in the town of Langensalza.
During the 18th century, the name "NEHRIG" spread to other parts of Germany, including Prussia and Bavaria. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Nehrig, a German composer and organist born in 1753 in Erfurt, Thuringia.
In the 19th century, the name "NEHRIG" continued to be found in various German regions. Johann Georg Nehrig, born in 1810 in Zwickau, Saxony, was a prominent philosopher and writer who authored several works on ethics and metaphysics.
Another important figure with the surname "NEHRIG" was Wilhelm Nehrig, a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the 19th century. He was born in 1832 in Berlin and achieved the rank of Major General.
As the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring countries, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as "Nehrich" and "Nehrike." However, the original form "NEHRIG" remained the most common.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nehrig
Among Census respondents with the surname Nehrig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nehrig 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 Nehrig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nehrig
Nehrig 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,674 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,674 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 5,104 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 Nehrig 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 | #153,769 | #148,665 | 3.3% |
| Count | 106 | 111 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nehrig bearers went from 106 to 111 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 5,104 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #148,665.
FAQ
Nehrig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nehrig?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Nehrig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Nehrig?
Nehrig ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Nehrig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Nehrig.
Has Nehrig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nehrig went from 106 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Nehrig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nehrig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Nehrig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nehrig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Nehrig (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 Nehrig mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "near the hill". 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 Nehrig (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 Nehrig?
Find out how many people have the last name Nehrig on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.