2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Nhin
A Vietnamese surname derived from the word "nhin" meaning to look or observe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Nhin. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nhin 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Nhin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nhin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nhin
The surname NHIN is believed to have originated in the region of Northern India, specifically in the state of Punjab. It is thought to have emerged during the 16th century, derived from the Sanskrit word "nhi," which means "no" or "not." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with someone who was known for their directness or unwillingness to compromise.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NHIN can be found in the historical archives of the Sikh Empire, which ruled over parts of modern-day India and Pakistan from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. In these records, there are mentions of a prominent military leader named Sardar Jassa Singh NHIN, who played a significant role in the empire's expansion during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
The name NHIN can also be traced back to several villages in the Punjab region, such as Nhin Kalan and Nhin Khurd, which may have served as the ancestral homes of families bearing this surname. These place names likely originated from the same root as the surname itself.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the NHIN surname. One such figure was Bhai Vir Singh NHIN (1872-1957), a renowned Sikh scholar and theologian who made significant contributions to the literary and spiritual traditions of the Sikh faith.
Another prominent NHIN was Sardar Kapur Singh NHIN (1909-1986), a distinguished Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Punjab and later as the Indian High Commissioner to Canada.
In the field of sports, Milkha Singh NHIN (1935-2021), often referred to as the "Flying Sikh," was a legendary Indian sprinter who achieved numerous accolades, including winning gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
Moving to the realm of politics, Sardar Swaran Singh NHIN (1907-1994) was an influential figure who served as the Indian Minister of External Affairs and played a crucial role in shaping the country's foreign policy during the tumultuous years of the Cold War.
Finally, Sardar Dayal Singh NHIN (1915-1989) was a highly respected agriculturist and scientist who made significant contributions to the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat, helping to address food security concerns in India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nhin
Among Census respondents with the surname Nhin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Nhin 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 Nhin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander100.0% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nhin
Nhin 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Nhin 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nhin bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Nhin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nhin?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Nhin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Nhin?
Nhin ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Nhin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Nhin.
Has Nhin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nhin went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Nhin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nhin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 100.0%. 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nhin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nhin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (100.0%). 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 Nhin (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 Nhin mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the word "nhin" meaning to look or observe. 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 Nhin (0.03 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 have the last name Nhin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Nhin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.