2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Neitzey
A variant spelling of the German surname Nitze which derives from a diminutive form of the name Nicholas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Neitzey. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neitzey 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Neitzey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neitzey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neitzey
The surname NEITZEY has its origins in the German language, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was initially spelled as "Nitzei" or "Nitzey."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Nitzey was mentioned as a resident in the year 1567. This suggests that the name may have been derived from a occupational or locational reference, perhaps related to the cultivation of crops or a specific place within the region.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by the birth of Johann Neitzey in Hannover in 1632. This variation in spelling, with the addition of the "e" before the "i," is thought to have emerged as a result of regional dialect differences.
Historically, the NEITZEY name has been associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Friedrich Neitzey, a renowned clockmaker who lived in Dresden from 1712 to 1783. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Elise Neitzey, a celebrated opera singer born in Berlin in 1848. She performed in some of the most prestigious opera houses across Europe, including the Opéra Garnier in Paris and the Royal Opera House in London, before her untimely death in 1878.
In the 19th century, the NEITZEY name found its way to the United States through German immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Wilhelm Neitzey, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1842 after fleeing political turmoil in his homeland.
Over the centuries, the NEITZEY surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as "Neitzee," "Neitzay," and "Neitzy," reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the regions where it has been found. Despite these variations, the name's German roots and historical significance have endured.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neitzey
Among Census respondents with the surname Neitzey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Neitzey 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 Neitzey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 92
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neitzey
Neitzey 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,638 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,638 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 4,195 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 Neitzey 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 | #149,395 | #153,590 | -2.8% |
| Count | 110 | 104 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neitzey bearers went from 110 to 104 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 4,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #153,590.
FAQ
Neitzey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neitzey?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Neitzey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Neitzey?
Neitzey ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Neitzey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Neitzey.
Has Neitzey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neitzey went from 110 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Neitzey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neitzey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (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 Neitzey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neitzey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Black (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 Neitzey (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 Neitzey mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Nitze which derives from a diminutive form of the name Nicholas. 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 Neitzey (0.03 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 share the surname Neitzey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.