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

Nisly, 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 Nisly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nisly in America

Nisly is the 35866th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nisly surname appeared 626 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 Nisly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nisly 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 Nisly

The surname Nisly is of Swiss-German origin, tracing its roots back to the early 18th century in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. It is believed to have derived from the Swiss-German word "Niesli," which was a diminutive form of the personal name "Nies" or "Niesser." This name potentially originates from the Old German word "niozan," meaning "to enjoy" or "to possess."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nisly surname can be found in the Bernese Anabaptist church registers from the 1700s. These registers document the presence of individuals with variations of the name, such as Niessly, Niesly, and Niesli, among the Anabaptist communities of the region.

In the late 18th century, a group of Anabaptists, including members of the Nisly family, migrated from the Canton of Bern to the Palatinate region of Germany. From there, some Nislys eventually made their way to America, settling in Pennsylvania and other parts of the eastern United States in the early 19th century.

Notable individuals with the Nisly surname include Johannes Nisly (1735-1809), one of the earliest documented members of the family in America, who settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Another prominent figure was Christian Nisly (1792-1876), a minister and bishop in the Amish community of Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

In the mid-19th century, Jacob Nisly (1824-1903) played a significant role in establishing the Nisly family in Ohio, where he and his wife, Barbara Yoder Nisly, raised a large family and contributed to the growth of the Amish community in the state.

One of the most well-known individuals with the Nisly surname was Menno Nisly (1878-1968), a prominent Amish leader and author from Sugarcreek, Ohio. His book, "Menno Nisly's Thoughts," published in the 1950s, provided insights into Amish life and traditions.

Another notable figure was Daniel Nisly (1894-1970), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Holmes County, Ohio, who established the Nisly Foundation to support various charitable causes within the Amish and Mennonite communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nisly

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

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

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

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