2000
#13,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Nies
A German and Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a lowland or wetland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,362 Americans carry the last name Nies. That puts it at #14,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nies 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
2.4K
1 in 145,112
Census rank
#14,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,060 bearers of the surname Nies in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nies, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nies
The surname NIES is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, which was once known as the Palatinate of the Rhine.
The name NIES is thought to be derived from the Old German word "niuwe," meaning "new" or "newcomer." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NIES can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Rheno-Mosellanus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland region, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in several documents from this period, indicating its presence in the region during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, a nobleman named Johann NIES was mentioned in a charter from the city of Mainz, which was part of the Palatinate of the Rhine. This historical reference provides evidence of the name's usage among the nobility during that time.
Another notable person with the surname NIES was Konrad NIES, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1505 to 1581. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
In the 17th century, a German cartographer named Johann Baptist NIES (1615-1688) gained recognition for his detailed maps of the Palatinate region. His work contributed significantly to the development of cartography and geographical knowledge during that era.
The surname NIES also appears in connection with several place names in Germany, such as Nieskerkchen, a small village in the Eifel region, and Niesbach, a stream that flows through the town of Bingen am Rhein. These place names may have influenced the spread and usage of the surname in different parts of the country.
Other notable individuals with the surname NIES include Johann Peter NIES (1802-1880), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscape paintings, and Friedrich NIES (1831-1905), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Cologne and other cities in the Rhineland region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nies
Among Census respondents with the surname Nies, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nies 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 Nies surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,914
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 58
- Two or more races2.4% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nies
Nies 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
#13,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,321
+196 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 10 places
2020
#14,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
-261 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 843 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,181 | 2,125 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,171 | 2,321 | 0.79 | +196 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 10 places |
| 2020 | #14,014 | 2,060 | 0.69 | -261 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 843 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 Nies 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 | #13,171 | #14,014 | -6.4% |
| Count | 2,321 | 2,060 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.69 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nies bearers went from 2,321 to 2,060 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 843 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,171 to #14,014.
FAQ
Nies surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nies?
Name Census estimates that about 2,362 living Americans carry the surname Nies. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,112 residents.
How common is Nies?
Nies ranks #14,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,060 people with the surname Nies. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Nies.
Has Nies become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nies went from 2,321 recorded bearers to 2,060. That is a decrease of 261 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,171 to #14,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Nies?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nies, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Nies in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,914 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nies appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Nies (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 Nies mean?
A German and Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a lowland or wetland. 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 Nies (0.69 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 Nies?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Nies on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.