2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Nieders
A surname of German origin meaning "down" or "lower."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Nieders. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nieders 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Nieders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieders, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nieders
The surname Nieders is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "nieder," which means "low" or "lower," possibly referring to a person or family who lived in a lowland area or at a lower elevation.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Nieders can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Some variations of the spelling include Niederer, Niederau, and Niedermeier.
In the 14th century, there are records of individuals bearing the name Nieders in the towns of Lübeck and Hamburg, which were prominent trading centers at the time. This suggests that the name may have been associated with merchants or tradespeople who settled in these urban areas.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Nieders was Johann Nieders, a scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century. He was a professor at the University of Erfurt and is known for his contributions to the field of theology during the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, the name Nieders appeared in the records of several German principalities, such as Saxony and Brandenburg. This indicates that the name had spread across various regions of Germany during that time.
A notable figure with the surname Nieders was Hans Nieders, a German painter who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his religious paintings and worked in the cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg.
Another individual of significance was Wilhelm Nieders, a German military officer who served during the Thirty Years' War in the early 17th century. He held the rank of colonel and was involved in several battles during this prolonged conflict.
In the 18th century, the name Nieders was found in the records of various German cities and towns, suggesting that it had become more widespread across the country by that time.
One example from this period is Johann Georg Nieders, a German composer and organist who lived from 1715 to 1783. He was known for his contributions to church music and served as an organist in several churches in the region of Saxony.
As the centuries passed, the surname Nieders continued to be present in various parts of Germany, with individuals bearing this name engaging in various professions and contributing to different fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nieders
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieders, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nieders 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 Nieders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nieders
Nieders 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 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 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 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 Nieders 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 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nieders bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Nieders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nieders?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Nieders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Nieders?
Nieders ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Nieders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Nieders.
Has Nieders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nieders went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Nieders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieders, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Nieders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nieders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Nieders (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 Nieders mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "down" or "lower." 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 Nieders (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 share the surname Nieders?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.