2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nietling
A surname derived from an occupational term referring to a maker or seller of nails or similar metal goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Nietling. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nietling 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Nietling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nietling, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nietling
The surname Nietling is of German origin, traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "niotlinc," which means "descendant" or "relative," indicating a familial lineage.
One of the earliest known records of the name Nietling appears in the Württembergisches Klosterbuch, a manuscript dating back to the 15th century, where a certain Heinrich Nietling is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Neckarsulm.
In the 16th century, the name Nietling was also found in the town of Weinheim, located in the Bergstraße region of Baden-Württemberg. Historical documents from that time period reference a Johann Nietling, who served as a local magistrate and played a significant role in the town's governance.
The name Nietling has also been linked to various place names, such as Nietlingshausen, a small village in the district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg. This connection suggests that some individuals bearing the surname may have originated from or held land in these locations.
Notable individuals with the surname Nietling throughout history include:
1. Friedrich Nietling (1805-1878), a German writer and historian known for his works on the cultural heritage of the Palatinate region.
2. Karl Nietling (1867-1942), a German architect and urban planner, whose designs significantly influenced the cityscape of Munich in the early 20th century.
3. Emilie Nietling (1848-1920), a German educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools for girls in the city of Karlsruhe.
4. Hans Nietling (1914-2001), a German businessman and philanthropist, who established the Nietling Foundation to support educational initiatives and cultural preservation efforts.
5. Gerhard Nietling (1938-2012), a renowned German sculptor and artist, whose works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and the United States.
While the surname Nietling may have evolved with slight variations in spelling over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of southern Germany, where it has held a presence for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nietling
Among Census respondents with the surname Nietling, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nietling 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 Nietling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nietling
Nietling 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,432 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 3,432 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,119 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 Nietling 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 | #145,220 | #152,339 | -4.9% |
| Count | 114 | 106 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nietling bearers went from 114 to 106 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,339.
FAQ
Nietling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nietling?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Nietling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Nietling?
Nietling ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Nietling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Nietling.
Has Nietling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nietling went from 114 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Nietling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nietling, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Nietling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nietling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Nietling (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 Nietling mean?
A surname derived from an occupational term referring to a maker or seller of nails or similar metal goods. 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 Nietling (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 many people share the surname Nietling?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.