2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Niemier
A surname possibly derived from a German place name or an occupational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Niemier. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Niemier 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Niemier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Niemier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Niemier
The surname "NIEMIER" has its origins in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. The name dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century.
The name "NIEMIER" is believed to be derived from the Old German word "nimuari," which meant "taken" or "received." It is thought to have been an occupational name given to those who worked as tax collectors or toll-takers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a "Henricus Niemuir" is mentioned in the year 1284.
In the 15th century, there are records of a "Hans Niemier" who was a wealthy merchant in the city of Nuremberg. He was known for his extensive trade connections across Europe.
During the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname "NIEMIER" was Johannes Niemier (1522-1587), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Saxony.
In the 18th century, a prominent "NIEMIER" was Johann Christoph Niemier (1713-1788), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst.
Another notable individual with this surname was Karl Friedrich Niemier (1796-1859), a Prussian jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Justice in the Prussian government from 1848 to 1849.
The surname "NIEMIER" has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Niemier (a village in Bavaria), and Niemiersdorf (a town in Saxony).
Throughout its history, the name "NIEMIER" has undergone various spellings, including "Niemeyer," "Niemair," and "Niemayer," reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niemier
Among Census respondents with the surname Niemier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Niemier 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 Niemier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Niemier
Niemier 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-8 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,397 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-28 bearers (-21.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -8 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 13,397 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-21.1%) | Down 24,740 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 Niemier 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 | #128,249 | #152,989 | -19.3% |
| Count | 133 | 105 | -21.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Niemier bearers went from 133 to 105 (-21.1% change). The surname moved down 24,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #152,989.
FAQ
Niemier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Niemier?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Niemier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Niemier?
Niemier ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Niemier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Niemier.
Has Niemier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Niemier went from 133 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 28 (-21.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Niemier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Niemier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Niemier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Niemier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Niemier (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 Niemier mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German place name or an occupational name. 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 Niemier (0.04 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 common is the surname Niemier?
Find out how many people are called Niemier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.