2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ninesling
A surname derived from an old word or phrase relating to weaponry or hunting equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Ninesling. 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 Ninesling 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 Ninesling 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 Ninesling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ninesling
The surname NINESLING has its origins in the small village of Nineslinge, located in the rolling hills of southern Germany during the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old High German words "niune" meaning "nine" and "slingen" meaning "to sling or hurl", a possible reference to a local militia or group of skilled slingers.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the NINESLING name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1210. It references a "Johannes de Nineslinge" as a landowner in the region. Another early record comes from the Liber Censuum, a papal census from 1192, which lists a "Robertus Nineslingus" as a tenant farmer.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have spread to neighboring regions, with records showing a "Heinrich Ninesling" as a merchant in the city of Augsburg in 1275. By the 14th century, the NINESLING name had made its way to England, likely carried by German immigrants or mercenaries during the Hundred Years' War. The earliest known English record is from the Poll Tax of 1381, which lists a "John Nyneslynge" in the county of Wiltshire.
Notable individuals with the NINESLING surname include:
1. Hans Ninesling (c. 1460 - 1522), a German master glassblower renowned for his intricate stained glass windows in churches throughout Bavaria.
2. Margaret Ninesling (1525 - 1598), an English herbalist and midwife who authored one of the earliest known texts on traditional medicine, "The Ninesling Remedies".
3. Johann Ninesling (1685 - 1757), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg.
4. William Ninesling (1782 - 1855), a British naval officer who served under Lord Nelson and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar.
5. Eliza Ninesling (1818 - 1896), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist who worked alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
While the NINESLING name has its roots in a small German village, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, leaving an indelible mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ninesling
Among Census respondents with the surname Ninesling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ninesling 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 Ninesling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 94
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ninesling
Ninesling appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,430 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 Ninesling 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 | #153,769 | #152,339 | 0.9% |
| Count | 106 | 106 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ninesling bearers went from 106 to 106 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,430 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,339.
FAQ
Ninesling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ninesling?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Ninesling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Ninesling?
Ninesling 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 Ninesling. 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 Ninesling.
Has Ninesling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ninesling went from 106 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Ninesling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ninesling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Ninesling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ninesling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Ninesling (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 Ninesling mean?
A surname derived from an old word or phrase relating to weaponry or hunting equipment. 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 Ninesling (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 common is the surname Ninesling?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ninesling? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.