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

Nelles, 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 Nelles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nelles in America

Nelles is the 53802nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nelles surname appeared 384 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nelles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nelles 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 Nelles

The surname NELLES has its origins in Germany and the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "nelle," which means "valley" or "ravine." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived or worked in a valley or near a ravine.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the NELLES surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Westphalia, Germany. In a medieval document from 1275, a man named Heinrich von Nelle is mentioned, which could be an early variant spelling of the surname.

In the 14th century, the NELLES surname appears in various records across the Rhine region of Germany and the Netherlands. For instance, a man named Jan Nelles is documented in the town of Arnhem, Netherlands, in the year 1347.

During the 16th century, the NELLES family gained prominence in the Dutch Republic (now the Netherlands). Hendrick Nelles (1580-1654) was a prominent Dutch merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the Dutch East India Company's trade with the East Indies.

In the 17th century, a branch of the NELLES family migrated to the New World and settled in what is now known as Canada. One of the earliest recorded settlers was Robert Nelles, who arrived in New Amsterdam (modern-day New York) in 1657 before eventually settling in the Niagara region of Canada.

Another notable figure with the NELLES surname was Colonel Henry Nelles (1761-1830), a United Empire Loyalist and British army officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada) and received a land grant for his service.

In the 19th century, several NELLES individuals made significant contributions to various fields. Abraham Nelles (1806-1884) was a Canadian Methodist minister and educator who served as the principal of Victoria College (now part of the University of Toronto) from 1850 to 1884.

John Nelles (1831-1899) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and played a role in the development of the Niagara Peninsula region.

While the NELLES surname has its roots in Germany and the Low Countries, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns of past centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nelles

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

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 Nelles 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 Nelles 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 Nelles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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