2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nischan
A surname of Indian origin derived from the Sanskrit word "nishchal" meaning "steady" or "unmovable".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Nischan. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nischan 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Nischan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nischan, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nischan
The surname NISCHAN originated in the historical region of Punjab, which spans parts of modern-day India and Pakistan. It can be traced back to the 16th century and is derived from the Persian word "nishān," meaning "mark" or "sign." The name likely referred to someone who bore a distinctive mark or emblem, possibly as a military standard-bearer or a member of a specific guild or profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NISCHAN appears in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions a nobleman named Nischan Khan, who held a high-ranking position in the imperial court.
During the reign of the Mughal Empire, the NISCHAN surname was prominent among the nobility and military ranks. Historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries mention several individuals bearing this name, such as Nischan Ali Khan, a distinguished military commander who participated in the conquest of the Deccan region, and Nischan Begum, a noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
As the Mughal Empire declined, the NISCHAN family dispersed across various regions of South Asia. In the 19th century, the name is found in records from the Punjab region, with notable figures including Nischan Singh, a prominent landowner and philanthropist who founded several educational institutions in the city of Lahore.
Another notable individual with the NISCHAN surname was Nischan Kaur, a pioneer in the field of Punjabi literature and education. Born in 1858, she established one of the first schools for girls in Punjab and published several works aimed at promoting women's education and social reform.
Beyond the Indian subcontinent, the name NISCHAN has also been recorded in parts of Central Asia and the Middle East, likely due to the historical migration and trade routes that connected these regions. In the 20th century, individuals with the surname NISCHAN can be found in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan, reflecting the cultural and linguistic ties between these areas and the region of Punjab.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nischan
Among Census respondents with the surname Nischan, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nischan 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 Nischan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 93
- Two or more races7.8% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nischan
Nischan 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+14 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,515 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 4,515 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Nischan 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 | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nischan bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Nischan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nischan?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Nischan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Nischan?
Nischan ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Nischan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Nischan.
Has Nischan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nischan went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Nischan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nischan, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Nischan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nischan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Two or More Races (7.8%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Nischan (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 Nischan mean?
A surname of Indian origin derived from the Sanskrit word "nishchal" meaning "steady" or "unmovable". 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 Nischan (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 Americans have the surname Nischan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.