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

Nemec, 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 Nemec surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nemec in America

Nemec is the 10075th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nemec surname appeared 3,199 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nemec.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nemec 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 Nemec

The surname Nemec is of German origin, derived from the German word "Nemet" which means "mute" or "unable to speak." It is believed to have emerged in the 14th century as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who was mute or had a speech impediment.

Variants of the name include Nemetz, Nemecek, and Nemecky. These variations can be found in regions of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, where the name has a strong presence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nemec can be found in the Liber Vetustissimus Gorlicensis, a 15th-century manuscript from the town of Görlitz, in modern-day Germany. The entry mentions a certain "Peter Nemec" who was a resident of the town in the year 1419.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Bohemia, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One notable figure was Jan Nemec (1523-1589), a Catholic priest and writer who authored several religious works.

The 17th century saw the emergence of the Nemec family in the town of Kutná Hora, located in the present-day Czech Republic. Records from this period mention a merchant named Matouš Nemec (1612-1679), who was a prominent figure in the local trade guild.

Moving into the 18th century, the name Nemec gained recognition in the field of music with the birth of Johann Nepomuk Nemec (1738-1804), a Czech composer and violinist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Prince Esterházy in Hungary.

In more recent times, the 20th century saw the rise of notable individuals bearing the surname Nemec, such as Jan Nemec (1936-2016), a renowned Czech film director known for his works like "Diamonds of the Night" and "The Party and the Guests."

Other notable figures with the surname Nemec include the Czech painter and illustrator Jaroslav Nemec (1935-2018), the American baseball player Mark Nemec (born 1967), and the Canadian actress Ona Grauer (née Nemec, born 1975).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nemec

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

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

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

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