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

Nissan, 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 Nissan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nissan in America

Nissan is the 33695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nissan surname appeared 676 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 Nissan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nissan 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 Nissan

The surname Nissan is derived from the Hebrew word "nisan", which means "miracle" or "blossom". It is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in areas with a significant Jewish population, such as modern-day Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.

The name Nissan can be traced back to the 6th century CE, when it was found in ancient Jewish records and manuscripts. One of the earliest known references to the surname Nissan appears in the Cairo Geniza, a collection of Jewish manuscripts discovered in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, Egypt.

In the 11th century, the name Nissan was mentioned in the Hebrew Chronicles of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, also known as Rashi, a prominent French rabbi and scholar. Rashi's work provides valuable insights into the lives and customs of Jews during that time period.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Nissan was prevalent among Jewish communities in Europe, particularly in Spain and France. Notable individuals who bore the surname Nissan include Rabbi David Nissan, a 13th-century Spanish Talmudist and scholar, and Rabbi Isaac Nissan, a 14th-century French rabbi and author.

In the 16th century, the surname Nissan was found in various records and historical documents from the Ottoman Empire, indicating the presence of Jewish communities bearing this name in regions like modern-day Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans.

Over the centuries, the spelling of the surname Nissan has undergone minor variations, such as Nisan, Nissan, and Nissan. Some variations may also be linked to the places where Jewish communities settled, leading to slight changes in spelling or pronunciation.

Other notable individuals with the surname Nissan include Abraham Nissan (1804-1876), a prominent Jewish scholar and educator from Aleppo, Syria, and David Nissan (1858-1939), a Jewish historian and author from Beirut, Lebanon.

It is important to note that while the surname Nissan has its roots in the Hebrew language and Jewish culture, it has since been adopted by people of various ethnicities and religions worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nissan

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

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

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

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