2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Neimeister
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the elements "neu" meaning "new" and "meister" meaning "master" or "lord".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Neimeister. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neimeister 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Neimeister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neimeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neimeister
The surname Neimeister has its origins in the German language, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, which was then a part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name is derived from the German words "neu" meaning "new" and "meister" meaning "master" or "skilled craftsman."
One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the town records of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Neimeister was listed as a guild member in 1532. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a particular trade or craft, likely indicating a skilled artisan who had recently joined the guild.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax registers across Bavaria and neighboring regions. Notable examples include Johann Neimeister, a vintner from Würzburg (1612-1689), and Katharina Neimeister, a respected midwife from Regensburg (1639-1701).
As the centuries progressed, the Neimeister surname began to spread beyond its Bavarian roots. In the 18th century, a family bearing this name settled in the town of Heidelberg, where they established a successful brewing business. One of their descendants, Friedrich Neimeister (1785-1854), went on to become a respected scholar and professor of philosophy at the University of Heidelberg.
Another notable figure with this surname was Karl Neimeister (1875-1946), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party. He served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) during the Weimar Republic and was a vocal opponent of the Nazi regime.
In the 19th century, the name also made its way across the Atlantic, with several Neimeister families immigrating to the United States. One such family settled in Pennsylvania, where they became prominent in the local agricultural community. Heinrich Neimeister (1821-1889), a successful farmer and landowner, was a respected figure in his township.
Throughout its history, the surname Neimeister has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from craftsmen and artisans to scholars, politicians, and farmers. While the name may have originated as a descriptor of a skilled trade, it has since evolved to represent a diverse range of individuals and families across multiple regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neimeister
Among Census respondents with the surname Neimeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Neimeister 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 Neimeister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 87
- Two or more races10.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neimeister
Neimeister appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Neimeister 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neimeister bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Neimeister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neimeister?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Neimeister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Neimeister?
Neimeister ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Neimeister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Neimeister.
Has Neimeister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neimeister went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Neimeister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neimeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Neimeister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neimeister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Two or More Races (10.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Neimeister (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 Neimeister mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the elements "neu" meaning "new" and "meister" meaning "master" or "lord". 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 Neimeister (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 are called Neimeister?
See how many people have the surname Neimeister on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.