2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Niceswanger
A combination surname derived from the German words "nice" meaning "relation" and "schwanger" meaning "pregnant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Niceswanger. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Niceswanger 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Niceswanger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Niceswanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Niceswanger
The surname Niceswanger has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "nices," meaning "nephew," and the word "wanger," which refers to a person's residence or occupation. Therefore, the name Niceswanger likely referred to a person who lived or worked near a relative's residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Niceswanger can be found in the town of Büdingen, located in the German state of Hesse, where a family bearing this surname resided in the late 1500s. The name also appears in various historical documents from the neighboring regions of Bavaria and Saxony during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Interestingly, the surname Niceswanger also has a few variations in spelling, including Nizeswanger, Nizewanger, and Nitzeswanger. These variations likely emerged due to regional differences in pronunciation and dialect, as well as the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time period.
Notable individuals with the surname Niceswanger throughout history include Johann Niceswanger (1624-1698), a prominent merchant from the town of Aschaffenburg in Bavaria. Another notable figure was Anna Niceswanger (1758-1832), who was known for her philanthropic efforts in the city of Dresden.
In the 19th century, the name Niceswanger gained some prominence in the United States, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania, where a number of German immigrants settled. One such individual was Peter Niceswanger (1812-1892), a farmer and landowner from Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Another noteworthy figure was Wilhelm Niceswanger (1842-1915), a German-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early steam engine technology. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, but later immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century.
Lastly, the name Niceswanger also appears in some historical records from the United Kingdom, although it is less common there. One such record mentions a certain Thomas Niceswanger (1793-1867), who was a watchmaker and silversmith based in London during the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niceswanger
Among Census respondents with the surname Niceswanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Niceswanger 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 Niceswanger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Niceswanger
Niceswanger 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+16 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,806 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-39 bearers (-26.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,831 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +16 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 3,806 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -39 bearers (-26.9%) | Down 32,831 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 Niceswanger 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 | #119,508 | #152,339 | -27.5% |
| Count | 145 | 106 | -26.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Niceswanger bearers went from 145 to 106 (-26.9% change). The surname moved down 32,831 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #152,339.
FAQ
Niceswanger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Niceswanger?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Niceswanger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Niceswanger?
Niceswanger ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Niceswanger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Niceswanger.
Has Niceswanger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Niceswanger went from 145 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 39 (-26.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Niceswanger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Niceswanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Niceswanger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Niceswanger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%), Black (0.9%). 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 Niceswanger (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 Niceswanger mean?
A combination surname derived from the German words "nice" meaning "relation" and "schwanger" meaning "pregnant". 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 Niceswanger (0.04 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 surname Niceswanger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.