2000
#9,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Nemec
A Czech and Slovak occupational surname referring to a German person or someone of German descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,538 Americans carry the last name Nemec. That puts it at #9,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nemec 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
3.5K
1 in 96,878
Census rank
#9,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,085 bearers of the surname Nemec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nemec, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nemec
Among Census respondents with the surname Nemec, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nemec 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 Nemec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,867
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 91
- Two or more races2.6% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nemec
Nemec 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
#10,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,199
+19 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 682 places
2020
#9,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,085
-114 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,393 | 3,180 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,075 | 3,199 | 1.08 | +19 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 682 places |
| 2020 | #9,981 | 3,085 | 1.03 | -114 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 94 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 Nemec 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 | #10,075 | #9,981 | 0.9% |
| Count | 3,199 | 3,085 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.03 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nemec bearers went from 3,199 to 3,085 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,075 to #9,981.
FAQ
Nemec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nemec?
Name Census estimates that about 3,538 living Americans carry the surname Nemec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,878 residents.
How common is Nemec?
Nemec ranks #9,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,085 people with the surname Nemec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nemec.
Has Nemec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nemec went from 3,199 recorded bearers to 3,085. That is a decrease of 114 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,075 to #9,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Nemec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nemec, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Nemec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nemec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Nemec (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 Nemec mean?
A Czech and Slovak occupational surname referring to a German person or someone of German descent. 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 Nemec (1.03 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 Nemec?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.