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

Nier, 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 Nier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nier in America

Nier is the 48347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nier surname appeared 437 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 Nier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nier 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 Nier

The surname NIER originated in Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Neuer," meaning "new." The name was likely given to someone who had recently moved to a new area or had established a new settlement.

In the early 16th century, records show the name NIER appearing in various German regions, particularly in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest documented instances of the surname can be found in parish records and municipal archives from that period.

One of the earliest known references to the name NIER appears in a 1523 land deed from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Hans NIER is mentioned as a landowner. Another notable early record is from the 1546 Augsburg Tax Roll, which lists a Jakob NIER among the city's residents.

The surname NIER has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann NIER (1587-1647), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. Another was Georg NIER (1712-1786), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schramberg in the Black Forest region.

In the 18th century, the NIER surname began to spread beyond Germany, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. For instance, records show a Peter NIER (1742-1823) who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 1700s and became a successful farmer.

Other notable bearers of the NIER surname include the 19th-century German painter Friedrich NIER (1824-1892) and the 20th-century German chemist Alfred NIER (1911-1994), who made significant contributions to the development of mass spectrometry.

While the NIER surname is most prevalent in Germany and other parts of central Europe, it has also been found in various other regions due to migration patterns throughout history. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its German origins and the meaning of "new" or "newcomer."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nier

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

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

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

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