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

Nesseth, 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 Nesseth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nesseth in America

Nesseth is the 57914th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nesseth surname appeared 351 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 Nesseth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nesseth 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 Nesseth

The surname Nesseth is of Norwegian origin, believed to have emerged in the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse words "nes," meaning "promontory" or "headland," and "sætr," referring to a mountain pasture or summer farm.

This combination of words suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a promontory or headland where cattle were grazed during the summer months. The earliest known record of the name appears in the 16th-century census records of the Gudbrandsdalen region of Norway.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Nesseth was Nils Nesseth, a farmer who lived in the Dovre area of Oppland county in the mid-17th century. Another early record is of Kari Nesseth, born in 1685 in the village of Vågå, also in Oppland county.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Næsseth and Nessæth, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. A notable bearer of the name from this period was Hans Nesseth, born in 1732 in the parish of Lesja, who served as a local magistrate and landowner.

During the 19th century, the surname began to spread more widely as Norwegians emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly North America. One of the earliest documented Nesseth immigrants was Ole Nesseth, who arrived in Wisconsin from Valdres, Norway, in 1846.

Another notable individual with the surname was Ingeborg Nesseth, born in 1865 in the village of Lom, Oppland. She was a renowned folk artist and painter, known for her intricate rosemaling (decorative folk painting) on traditional Norwegian wooden objects.

As the surname Nesseth spread beyond its original geographical origins, it has been represented in various fields, including academia, arts, and politics. However, its roots can be traced back to the rugged landscapes of central Norway, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for those living near mountain pastures and promontories.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nesseth

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

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

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

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