2000
#24,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Nie
Originally an ethnic surname referring to someone from Germany or Austria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,135 Americans carry the last name Nie. That puts it at #11,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nie 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 Nie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,332
Census rank
#11,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,734 bearers of the surname Nie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nie, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.8%. The next largest groups are White (13.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nie
The surname NIE has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the old German word "nie," which means "never" or "not at all." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who was perceived as stubborn or unwilling to comply.
In the late 16th century, the name NIE appears in the records of the town of Nuremberg, Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances is a reference to a Hans Nie in 1587, a merchant who traded in spices and textiles. Around the same time, the name is also found in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of farmers with the surname NIE is mentioned in the local church records.
The NIE surname is also found in several historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, a Johann Nie is listed as a soldier in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), which ravaged parts of modern-day Germany and neighboring regions. Additionally, a Katherina Nie is mentioned in the birth records of the town of Aachen in 1723.
Notable individuals with the surname NIE include:
1. Michael Nie (1805-1879), a German philosopher and theologian who authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy.
2. Friedrich Nie (1832-1901), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits of rural life in Bavaria.
3. Helene Nie (1877-1945), a German writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform in the early 20th century.
4. Karl Nie (1898-1976), a German architect who designed several landmark buildings in Berlin during the Weimar Republic era.
5. Gerhard Nie (1924-2003), a German military officer who served in World War II and later became a historian, writing extensively on military strategy and tactics.
While the surname NIE is more commonly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns of people over time. However, its roots can be traced back to the German language and the cultural traditions of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nie
Among Census respondents with the surname Nie, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.8%. The next largest groups are White (13.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nie 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 Nie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.8% · 2,263
- White13.7% · 374
- Two or more races1.5% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 39
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nie
Nie 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
#16,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,725
+764 bearers (+79.5%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 7,782 places
2020
#11,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,734
+1,009 bearers (+58.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 5,543 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,406 | 961 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,624 | 1,725 | 0.58 | +764 bearers (+79.5%) | Up 7,782 places |
| 2020 | #11,081 | 2,734 | 0.91 | +1,009 bearers (+58.5%) | Up 5,543 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 Nie 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 | #16,624 | #11,081 | 33.3% |
| Count | 1,725 | 2,734 | 58.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.91 | 57.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nie bearers went from 1,725 to 2,734 (+58.5% change). The surname moved up 5,543 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,624 to #11,081.
FAQ
Nie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nie?
Name Census estimates that about 3,135 living Americans carry the surname Nie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,332 residents.
How common is Nie?
Nie ranks #11,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,734 people with the surname Nie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Nie.
Has Nie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nie went from 1,725 recorded bearers to 2,734. That is an increase of 1,009 (+58.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,624 to #11,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Nie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nie, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.8%. The next largest groups are White (13.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Nie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (2,263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.8%), White (13.7%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Nie (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 Nie mean?
Originally an ethnic surname referring to someone from Germany or Austria. 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 Nie (0.91 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 Nie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.