2000
#6,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Nieman
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to someone who was a newcomer or new settler in a community.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,377 Americans carry the last name Nieman. That puts it at #6,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,745 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nieman 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 Nieman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,745
Census rank
#6,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,689 bearers of the surname Nieman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nieman
The surname NIEMAN has its origins in the Low German dialects spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is derived from the Old Low German word "nieman," which means "no one" or "nobody." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who was considered insignificant or of little importance.
The earliest recorded instances of the NIEMAN surname date back to the 14th century in various regions of northern Germany and the Low Countries. One of the earliest known references can be found in the city records of Hamburg from the year 1379, where a man named Hinrich Nieman is mentioned.
In the Netherlands, the name appears in various historical documents from the 15th century onwards, particularly in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. For example, a man named Symen Nieman is recorded as living in the village of Bierum, Groningen, in 1487.
One notable historical figure with the NIEMAN surname was Johann Nieman (1513-1588), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation in the city of Lübeck. Another was Pieter Nieman (1634-1703), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and maritime scenes.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the NIEMAN name spread throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe, as well as to other parts of the world through emigration. For instance, a man named Christoph Nieman (1680-1749) was a German-born settler who established a farm in the Schoharie Valley of New York in the early 1700s.
In the 19th century, the NIEMAN surname can be found in various places, including the United States and parts of Eastern Europe. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Nieman (1822-1898), a German-American military officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and Iwan Nieman (1844-1919), a Russian businessman and philanthropist who established the Nieman Foundation for journalism at Harvard University.
Throughout its history, the NIEMAN surname has also been recorded with various spelling variations, such as Niemann, Niemand, Niemants, and Niemantsverdriet, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the regions where it originated and was used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nieman
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nieman 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 Nieman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 4,340
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 153
- Two or more races2.8% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nieman
Nieman 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
#6,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,907
-47 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 524 places
2020
#6,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,689
-218 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,333 | 4,954 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,857 | 4,907 | 1.66 | -47 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 524 places |
| 2020 | #6,902 | 4,689 | 1.57 | -218 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 45 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 Nieman 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 | #6,857 | #6,902 | -0.7% |
| Count | 4,907 | 4,689 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.57 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nieman bearers went from 4,907 to 4,689 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,857 to #6,902.
FAQ
Nieman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nieman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,377 living Americans carry the surname Nieman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,745 residents.
How common is Nieman?
Nieman ranks #6,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 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 4,689 people with the surname Nieman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 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 Nieman.
Has Nieman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nieman went from 4,907 recorded bearers to 4,689. That is a decrease of 218 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,857 to #6,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Nieman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Nieman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (4,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nieman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Nieman (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 Nieman mean?
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to someone who was a newcomer or new settler in a community. 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 Nieman (1.57 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 Nieman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.