2000
#7,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,253
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Niemi
A Finnish topographic surname referring to a person living near a cape or peninsula.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,546 Americans carry the last name Niemi. That puts it at #8,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Niemi 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
4.5K
1 in 75,397
Census rank
#8,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,964 bearers of the surname Niemi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Niemi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 Additionally, the name appears in various parish records and historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in Finland.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niemi
Among Census respondents with the surname Niemi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Niemi 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 Niemi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,686
- Two or more races3.1% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Niemi
Niemi 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
#7,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,272
+19 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 533 places
2020
#8,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,964
-308 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,234 | 4,253 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,767 | 4,272 | 1.45 | +19 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 533 places |
| 2020 | #8,018 | 3,964 | 1.33 | -308 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 251 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 Niemi 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 | #7,767 | #8,018 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,272 | 3,964 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.33 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Niemi bearers went from 4,272 to 3,964 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,767 to #8,018.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Niemi
FAQ
Niemi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Niemi?
Name Census estimates that about 4,546 living Americans carry the surname Niemi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,397 residents.
How common is Niemi?
Niemi ranks #8,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,964 people with the surname Niemi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,546), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Niemi.
Has Niemi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Niemi went from 4,272 recorded bearers to 3,964. That is a decrease of 308 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,767 to #8,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Niemi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Niemi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Niemi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Niemi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Niemi (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 Niemi mean?
A Finnish topographic surname referring to a person living near a cape or peninsula. 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 Niemi (1.33 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 Niemi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.