2000
#11,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,418
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Ni
A Chinese surname meaning "peaceful" or "tranquil," derived from a word referring to calm water or peace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,333 Americans carry the last name Ni. That puts it at #4,723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ni 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ni with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,132
Census rank
#4,723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,267 bearers of the surname Ni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ni
The surname "Ni" has its origins in China, where it first emerged during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "倪," which was originally used as a clan name in various regions of China, particularly in the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Ni" can be found in the "Tōki Wakashū," a historical anthology of Japanese poetry compiled in the early 8th century AD. This work includes poems attributed to individuals with the surname "Ni," suggesting that the name had already gained recognition in East Asia by that time.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the "Ni" surname gained further prominence, with several notable scholars and officials bearing this name. One such individual was Ni Zan (1301-1374), a renowned Chinese painter and calligrapher who hailed from the Ni clan of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province.
The "Ni" surname also has a strong association with the city of Huizhou in Anhui Province, where it was particularly prevalent among the local gentry and merchant classes. In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties (16th-17th centuries), several prominent figures with the "Ni" surname emerged from this region, including Ni Yuanlu (1593-1644), a scholar-official who served as a minister in the Ming court.
Another notable individual with the "Ni" surname was Ni Tsan (1301-1374), a famous Chinese painter and calligrapher who was also known by the courtesy name "Yunlin." His works, including landscapes and calligraphic pieces, are highly regarded in Chinese art history.
In more recent times, the "Ni" surname has been carried by several influential figures, such as Ni Zhengyu (1928-2021), a Chinese mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the development of computer science in China, and Ni Kuang (1935-2017), a renowned writer and screenwriter best known for his novels and screenplays depicting life in Shanghai.
While the surname "Ni" has its roots in China, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. Today, individuals with the "Ni" surname can be found in various countries across Asia, as well as in communities of Chinese descent in other regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ni
Among Census respondents with the surname Ni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ni 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 Ni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.1% · 6,837
- White3.3% · 238
- Two or more races1.1% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 59
- Black or African American0.7% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ni
Ni 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
#7,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,624
+2,206 bearers (+91.2%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 4,642 places
2020
#4,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,267
+2,643 bearers (+57.2%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Up 2,494 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,859 | 2,418 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,217 | 4,624 | 1.57 | +2,206 bearers (+91.2%) | Up 4,642 places |
| 2020 | #4,723 | 7,267 | 2.43 | +2,643 bearers (+57.2%) | Up 2,494 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 Ni 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 | #7,217 | #4,723 | 34.6% |
| Count | 4,624 | 7,267 | 57.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 2.43 | 54.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ni bearers went from 4,624 to 7,267 (+57.2% change). The surname moved up 2,494 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,217 to #4,723.
FAQ
Ni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ni?
Name Census estimates that about 8,333 living Americans carry the surname Ni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,132 residents.
How common is Ni?
Ni ranks #4,723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,267 people with the surname Ni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,333), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ni.
Has Ni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ni went from 4,624 recorded bearers to 7,267. That is an increase of 2,643 (+57.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,217 to #4,723.
What does the Census say about the background of Ni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Ni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (6,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.1%), White (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Ni (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 Ni mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "peaceful" or "tranquil," derived from a word referring to calm water or peace. 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 Ni (2.43 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 are called Ni?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ni? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.