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

Niese, 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 Niese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Niese in America

Niese is the 27021st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Niese surname appeared 897 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 Niese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Niese 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 Niese

The surname Niese is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "niese," which means "nephew" or "kinsman." This name was likely initially used as a nickname or a byname to distinguish someone who was the nephew or relative of a more prominent person in their community.

The earliest recorded instances of the Niese surname can be traced back to the late 12th century in various regions of present-day Germany, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas before spreading to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Niese surname was Henricus Niese, a merchant from the city of Lübeck in northern Germany, who was mentioned in historical records from the year 1289. Another notable individual with this surname was Johannes Niese, a scholar and historian from Mecklenburg, who lived from 1463 to 1538 and wrote several works on the history of Germany.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Niese surname was also found in various regions of present-day Poland, particularly in areas that were formerly part of the Prussian Empire. This suggests that some Niese families may have migrated from Germany to these regions during this period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Niese surname in Poland dates back to 1587, when a man named Bartłomiej Niese was mentioned in the records of the city of Gdańsk (formerly known as Danzig).

Another notable bearer of the Niese surname was Benedikt Niese, a German classical scholar and historian who lived from 1849 to 1910. He was a prominent figure in the field of ancient Greek and Roman history and authored several influential works on the subject.

In the 19th century, the Niese surname also appeared in various parts of the United States, likely as a result of German immigration to the country during that period. One example is John Niese, a German-American journalist and political activist who lived from 1829 to 1885 and was involved in the labor movement in New York City.

Other notable individuals with the Niese surname throughout history include Karl Niese, a German mathematician and physicist who lived from 1866 to 1932, and Theodor Niese, a German politician and member of the Reichstag (German parliament) in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Niese

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

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

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

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