2000
#1,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.98
Uncommon Last name
Nieto
A Spanish surname meaning "grandson" or "descendant," often indicating a family relationship to an important ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,962 Americans carry the last name Nieto. That puts it at #1,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nieto 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nieto with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,835
Census rank
#1,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,256 bearers of the surname Nieto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nieto
The surname Nieto is of Spanish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "nieto," which means "grandson" or "descendant." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname or surname given to someone who was the grandson or descendant of a notable person or family.
In Spain, the surname Nieto can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries. It was particularly common in regions such as Andalusia, Castile, and Extremadura. The earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in medieval documents and records, including parish registers and census records from that time period.
The Nieto surname has also been associated with several place names in Spain, such as Nieto de Cameros in La Rioja and Nieto de Molina in Guadalajara. These place names suggest that the surname may have originated from specific locations or estates where families with the name resided.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Nieto was Juan Nieto, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in the expeditions to the Pacific Northwest in the late 17th century. Another notable figure was Pedro Nieto y Castilla (1631-1704), a Spanish architect and sculptor who designed several churches and buildings in Madrid and Valladolid.
In the 16th century, the Nieto family played a significant role in the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. Juan Nieto Polo (1504-1590) was a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico and later became one of the founders of the city of Puebla.
Other notable individuals with the Nieto surname include José Nieto (1815-1900), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 19th century, and Manuel Nieto (1784-1876), a Spanish-Mexican soldier and rancher who was granted a land grant in what is now Los Angeles County, California.
Throughout history, the Nieto surname has been associated with various fields, including exploration, architecture, politics, and military service, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nieto
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nieto 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 Nieto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 22,727
- White7.3% · 1,844
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 244
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 237
- Two or more races0.5% · 133
- Black or African American0.3% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nieto
Nieto 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
#1,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,701
+6,884 bearers (+36.6%)
Per 100,000 8.71
Rank movement Up 368 places
2020
#1,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,256
-445 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 8.45
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,744 | 18,817 | 6.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,376 | 25,701 | 8.71 | +6,884 bearers (+36.6%) | Up 368 places |
| 2020 | #1,377 | 25,256 | 8.45 | -445 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1 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 Nieto 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 | #1,376 | #1,377 | -0.1% |
| Count | 25,701 | 25,256 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.71 | 8.45 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nieto bearers went from 25,701 to 25,256 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,376 to #1,377.
FAQ
Nieto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nieto?
Name Census estimates that about 28,962 living Americans carry the surname Nieto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,835 residents.
How common is Nieto?
Nieto ranks #1,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,256 people with the surname Nieto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,962), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Nieto.
Has Nieto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nieto went from 25,701 recorded bearers to 25,256. That is a decrease of 445 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,376 to #1,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Nieto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nieto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nieto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (22,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nieto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.0%), White (7.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Nieto (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 Nieto mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "grandson" or "descendant," often indicating a family relationship to an important ancestor. 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 Nieto (8.45 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 are called Nieto?
If you just want to know how common the surname Nieto is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.