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

Nigg, 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 Nigg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nigg in America

Nigg is the 42640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nigg surname appeared 508 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 Nigg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nigg 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 Nigg

The surname NIGG is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Saxony, around the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "nigga," meaning "new" or "newcomer." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NIGG can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1230. In this text, a certain "Heinricus Nigge" is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Niedernhausen.

During the Middle Ages, the name NIGG also appeared in various municipal records and chronicles across parts of what is now modern-day Germany. For example, in 1348, a "Johannes Nigg" is listed as a citizen of the town of Mühlhausen in Thuringia.

As for notable individuals bearing the surname NIGG, one of the earliest recorded was Peter Nigg (c. 1480-1557), a German Catholic priest and theologian who served as a canon in the city of Erfurt. Another was Johann Nigg (1562-1623), a German jurist and legal scholar who authored several influential works on civil law.

In the 17th century, the name NIGG can be found in the records of several German principalities and duchies. For instance, a certain "Friedrich Nigg" (1625-1698) was a Lutheran pastor and author in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Moving into the 18th century, one notable figure was Johann Baptist Nigg (1723-1788), a German Baroque architect and sculptor who designed numerous churches and public buildings in the Swabian region of southern Germany.

In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the surname NIGG was Walter Nigg (1903-1988), a Swiss writer and theologian who authored several influential works on Christian mysticism and the history of religious thought.

Throughout its history, the surname NIGG has maintained a strong presence in various parts of Germany, particularly in the states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as in neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nigg

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

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

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

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