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

Nienhuis, 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 Nienhuis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nienhuis in America

Nienhuis is the 31906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nienhuis surname appeared 723 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nienhuis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nienhuis 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 Nienhuis

The surname Nienhuis is Dutch in origin, originating in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the Middle Dutch phrase "nieuwe huis," meaning "new house." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who had recently built or moved into a new dwelling.

In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Nijenhuus" and "Nyenhuys" in various parts of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. These early spellings reflect the regional linguistic variations of the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Oorkondenboek van Groningen en Drente, a collection of historical documents from the region, dating back to 1379. The entry mentions a certain "Gherd Nyenhuys" from the city of Groningen.

The Nienhuis name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Pieter Nienhuis (1516-1588) was a renowned Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of navigation.

During the Dutch Golden Age, Gerrit Nienhuis (1628-1705) was a respected painter known for his still-life and genre paintings, some of which can be found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

In the 19th century, Antje Nienhuis (1819-1892) was a prominent figure in the Dutch feminist movement, advocating for women's rights and education.

Another notable bearer of the name was Hendrik Nienhuis (1835-1912), a Dutch architect who designed several iconic buildings in Amsterdam, including the Concertgebouw and the Paleis voor Volksvlijt.

More recently, Dirk Nienhuis (1920-2007) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II, risking his life to help Jewish families escape Nazi persecution.

The name Nienhuis has also been associated with various place names throughout the Netherlands, such as Nieuwehuis, Nieuwhuizen, and Nienhuis itself, which was once a small village in the province of Friesland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nienhuis

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

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 Nienhuis 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 Nienhuis 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 Nienhuis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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