2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Neme
A surname of Hungarian origin meaning "mute" or "speechless."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Neme. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neme 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Neme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neme, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.1%) and Black (9.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neme
The surname NEME has its origins in Hungary, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the old Hungarian word "nemes," which means "nobleman" or "noble." The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone of noble birth or status.
In the early days, the NEME surname was primarily found in the central and western regions of Hungary, particularly in areas around Budapest and the county of Vas. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Hungarian documents and records from the 13th to 15th centuries.
One notable historical reference to the NEME surname is in the Codex Diplomaticus Hungariae, a collection of medieval Hungarian charters and diplomatic documents. In this collection, there are mentions of individuals with the NEME surname, including a certain Petrus Neme, who was a landowner in the county of Zala in the late 14th century.
The earliest recorded bearer of the NEME surname is believed to be Nicolaus Neme, who lived in the town of Esztergom in the late 13th century. There are also records of a Stephanus Neme from the village of Szentgál in the county of Veszprém in the early 15th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the NEME surname. These include:
1. György Neme (1889-1976), a Hungarian artist and painter known for his landscape and genre paintings.
2. János Neme (1862-1925), a Hungarian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Hungary.
3. Miklós Neme (1941-2010), a Hungarian chess grandmaster and author of several books on chess strategy.
4. Péter Neme (born 1966), a Hungarian actor and director who has appeared in numerous films and TV shows.
5. Tamás Neme (1918-1994), a Hungarian engineer and inventor who held several patents for mechanical devices and systems.
While the NEME surname originated in Hungary, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its roots and historical significance remain firmly connected to the noble heritage and rich cultural tapestry of Hungary.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neme
Among Census respondents with the surname Neme, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.1%) and Black (9.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Neme 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 Neme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.6% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino23.1% · 25
- Black or African American9.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neme
Neme 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Neme 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 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neme bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Neme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neme?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Neme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Neme?
Neme ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Neme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Neme.
Has Neme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neme went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Neme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neme, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.1%) and Black (9.3%). 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 Neme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.6%), Hispanic (23.1%), Black (9.3%). 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 Neme (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 Neme mean?
A surname of Hungarian origin meaning "mute" or "speechless." 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 Neme (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 have the last name Neme?
See how common the surname Neme is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.