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

Nihart, 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 Nihart surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nihart in America

Nihart is the 37691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nihart surname appeared 590 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 Nihart.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nihart 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 Nihart

The surname NIHART is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "nie" meaning "never" and "hart" meaning "hard" or "difficult." This suggests that the name may have been initially applied as a descriptive nickname for someone who was perceived as being stubborn or unyielding.

One of the earliest recorded references to the NIHART surname is found in a 14th-century document from the town of Nürnberg, where a certain Johannes Nihart is mentioned as a local landowner. This suggests that the name had become well-established in the region by that time.

Another early record of the name comes from the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony. In this document, dated around 1420, a man named Henricus Nihart is listed as a witness to a land transaction.

During the 15th century, the name appears to have spread beyond Germany, with records showing individuals bearing the NIHART surname in neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable example is Hans Nihart, a Swiss merchant and trader who was active in the city of Bern in the late 1400s.

As the centuries progressed, the NIHART surname continued to be found across various parts of Europe. In the 1600s, a family bearing this name is recorded as living in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where they were involved in the textile trade.

Among the more notable individuals with the NIHART surname throughout history are:

1. Johann Nihart (1580-1648), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.

2. Gottfried Nihart (1645-1712), a German composer and organist who is credited with composing several sacred works during the Baroque period.

3. Marie Nihart (1738-1808), a French painter and portraitist who gained prominence during the late 18th century for her depictions of aristocratic and noble subjects.

4. Heinrich Nihart (1812-1879), a German-born explorer and naturalist who documented his travels through various parts of South America and contributed to the study of the region's flora and fauna.

5. Émilie Nihart (1882-1972), a Belgian sculptor and artist known for her works in bronze and marble, many of which can be found in public spaces and museums across Europe.

The NIHART surname has a rich and diverse history, with its origins rooted in medieval Germany and its branches extending across various European countries over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nihart

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!