Find out how popular the last name Niemi is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Niemi.

Niemi, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Niemi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Niemi in America

Niemi is the 7767th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Niemi surname appeared 4,272 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Niemi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Niemi to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Niemi

The surname Niemi is of Finnish origin, derived from the Finnish word "niemi" meaning "peninsula" or "cape." It is believed to have originated in the 16th century or earlier, with early records indicating its use as a topographic name referring to those living on or near a peninsula or headland.

The name Niemi is particularly prevalent in western Finland, particularly in the regions of Ostrobothnia and Satakunta, where many coastal settlements were located on peninsulas or capes. It is also found in other parts of Finland, as well as in areas with significant Finnish immigration, such as Sweden and parts of North America.

One of the earliest known references to the name Niemi can be found in the Swedish Census Registers of 1569, which recorded individuals with this surname in the province of Ostrobothnia. Additionally, the name appears in various parish records and historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in Finland.

Notable individuals with the surname Niemi throughout history include Mikael Niemi (1665-1744), a Finnish clergyman and writer, and Johan Niemi (1799-1861), a Finnish teacher and politician. In more recent times, Juhani Niemi (1924-1988) was a Finnish writer and poet, and Mikko Niemi (born 1959) is a Finnish author and translator.

Other notable figures bearing the Niemi surname include Martti Niemi (1915-1994), a Finnish cross-country skier and Olympic medalist, and Antti Niemi (born 1983), a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who has played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

The Niemi surname has also been associated with various place names in Finland, such as Niemi, a village in the municipality of Lohja, and Niemenkulma, a village in the municipality of Ylöjärvi. These place names likely originated from the same root word, referring to their geographical location on a peninsula or cape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Niemi

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Niemi.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Niemi was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Niemi has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Niemi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Niemi, please contact us.

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